Yauk/Jauk/Jauch Surname Origins
Yauk / Jauk / Jauch Surname Origins
Here, I will collect all findings and theories about the origin of our surname (Yauk / Jauk / Yauck / Jauck / Youck / Yauch / Jauch ) and any other variations that we 'connect' with...

Pronunciation


The Jauch Family Name History.
This information was found by Wilf Yauck, of Regina SK, Canada:

The German surname Jauch has many� different origins. Firstly, the name is of
locative origin, deriving from a feature either man made or natural near which the
original bearer once lived or held land.
In this instance, the name derives from the middle high german "juch, jauch" meaning
the area that could be plowed with oxen in one day. In this case, the name would indicate
someone living close to such a piece of land.

Alternatively, the name is of occupational origin, deriving from the trade or profession of the
original bearer, here the name derives again
from jauch� in this case however indicating a farmer.

Occasionally , the name Jauch derives from the Swiss German word�� JOCH� indicating a mountain pass. In this instance, the name
indicates someone living at a mountain pass. Here the name is again of locative origin.

Some etymologists believe that the name is of patronymic origin , deriving from the name
of the father of the original bearer. In this case the name eastern German pet form of the
German name� Joachim, which in turn derives from the hebrew Jehojakim meaning� God Prepares.
The german surname jauch and its variants� jaucher and jauche can be found in documents
dating back to the 13 century. One Bertholdus dictus Joich was a resident of the upper Swabia
region of s germany in 1286. Another was a resident of Oberried near Freiburg� 1223.
Joseph Stefan Jauch was a resident and gov of the Thurgau region of Switzerland� 1170
The� Blazon of Arms ( or crest)� is : Azure, a lion rampant, holding in his paws an oxen
yoke� argent, placed in pale.� The lion symbolized strength, courage, generosity and
majesty.

Concerning the Jauch and Jauck surname origins:
Reiner Joch of Germany wrote:

The surname Jauch evolved from the name Joch. This can be proven in Ueberlingen at the Bodensee, starting from the year 1200, of Joch to Jouch and to Jauch. That is connected with the reorganization of the way of writing in South Germany. The simple umlauts: i, u, � und o became double sounds: ei, ou, au, and eu.

Dr. Manfred J�ch of Vienna Austria reported that an etymology book claims:

The Jauch surname is from Wurttemberg, Switzerland, and
the Jauck surname is from Friesia. [Friesia is a former country along the North Sea, half of which is now a province of the Netherlands, and half is a province in northwestern Germany],

Origin of the name Jauch:
(according to Joerg Jauch, translated from http://www.jjauch.com/ergebnis.htm )

The name originates warscheinlich from the Mhd. it is derived from the original square measure Jauchert, which was approximately as many, which one could manage with a yoke bottom plate ox on one day.

The surname Jauch leads itself ago from a South West German farmer over name to mhd. the word j�ch, juoch in the meaning of land measure. This land measure can be determined as follows: It concerns itself over as much country, as one could plow with a yoke cattle on one day. The old postings go far apart. There are the also following name variations: Juchart, Juchert, Jauchert. The assumed origin of the name Jauch is possibly situated in Switzerland in Basel, around 800. A first documentary mention is in the year 1293 with a person dictus Joeche to Oberried(Freiburg)(FVB. II No. 136 u.v.a.) A first documentary mention in Schwenningen is in the year 1535.

My family resides as can be prove since 1637(11 generations) in Schwenningen at the Neckar[river]. Mainly occurred occupations were webers, schmied, butcher and baker.
Further information is supplied shortly.

Concerning the Jauch origin and migrations:
Written in the Joerg Jauch guestbook at:
www.info-serve.de/gast/read.phtml?read+0+Bname=JrgsGstebuch

From: Hans Gerd H. Jauch
Date: Friday 06 August 1999

Heinrich Jauch, which died 1945 and which investigated hanseatischen Jauch, held it likewise for possible that the Jauch from Switzerland immigrated over South Germany to the north Germans of areas. There is not a voucher for this. Not even between the northern trunks so far a relationship can be proven. The name researchers represent also quite different views for the emergence of the name Jauch, so that a relationship is not mandatory also to that extent. So the name is to come into South Germany of ' yoke ', an old field measure. In other opinion it comes of ' Gauch ' = Kuckkuck = fool. For the Saxonian Sprachrraum also a development from the first name will represent ' Joachim '. Jauch also occasionally as ' Jauchius ', ' Juchius ' or ' Jubilaeus ' occurs there here, besides a derivative from the word trunk Juch=jubilare is assumed. Which is not, can still become. Many greetings Hans Gerd H. Jauch.

Another possible origin of the Jauk surname:
quoted from Gunther Jauk -Graz Austria:

"I think Jauk is a slovene name and it comes from Yugo (means South). In the alps people call the warm wind from the south "F�hn". Especially in my area people also say "Jauk". "

Have you ever heard of a Jauk making his own beer?
I ask this because of another possible origin:

In the Latvian language, the word JAUK means "to mix, or to BREW".
I think most of us can recall a Jauk or Jauch ancestor who made his own whisky, vodka, or beer. Maybe this was how one or more of our ancestors got their surname?

The surname Jauchen and others:

Family Histories for Sale?

I saw a company trying to sell family histories and coat-of-arms for the surname Jauch. They claimed the name was first found in Hainault Belgium before the year 1100. I do not believe this since no one else has ever claimed Belgium its source. Also there are no Jauch's there today by any spelling (except just 10 families spelled Jauche).


Family Name Variations

As families moved to different countries, it was common to spell their surname differently, but usually try to maintain the same phonetic sound.

Family names spelled Jauch in one country were often spelled Jauk or Yauk in another. Some slavic, cryllic or germanic languages do not use a letter 'Y', and others may require different spellings in order to maintain the same pronunciation.

One family of brothers for example has been reported to spell their names three different ways: Yauck, Youck, and Yauch.
A quick check of the number of families in each country shows the following relative frequency of Yauk spellings:

 SURNAME  CAN  USA  GER  SWZ  AUT  SLO  CRO  BGM  NTH
  Jauch    21  274 1600  527   28    -    -    -    -
  Jauck     3    7   91    -   42    -    -    -    -
  Jauk      6    6   90   15  452   25   63    -    -
  Yauk     11   72    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
  Yauck    25   48    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
  Youck    31   11    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
  Yauch     8  233    -    -    -    -    -    -    -


Family Migrations

Often, european families moved to other countries as a result of recent wars. In Germany (Prussia at the time), the thirty years war in the middle 1700's left so much devistation and famine in central europe, that some German Jauch families were eager to find a better place to live. More battles in the later 1700's were marked by a 25 year 'boil' prior to Napoleon's defeat in 1815.

Katherine the Great, czarina of Russia in 1762 encouraged a tide of settlers into Russia during this timeframe with her manifesto, promising free land, interest-free loans, transportation, and temporary freedom from taxes and military duty!.

Migration to the (Holstein) lower Volga river area of Russia (north of the Caspian Sea) was common starting in the 1760's. (click for details)
Migration to the Odessa area of Russia (along the north shore of the Black Sea) was common starting in the early 1800's. (click for details)
I scanned a Holstein 1900 hand-drawn map, in two sections. The (east section) shows 5 Jauk families still living in town at that time. ... (west section)

When the Russian military exemption was recinded in the 1870's and replaced with compulsory military conscription, an exodus of these settlers began in earnest and continued thru the turn of the century, often to North and South America. A very interesting article about German settlers abandoning Russia, and moving to Kansas can be found here. Note especially; It says the third troop of colonists arrived in February 1878 from Eckheim !!! (which would have included the Yauks)

The situation in Russia grew ugly in the early 1900's as anti-German feelings rose, and by 1941, any Germans still living there were said to have been packed up and moved to northeast Russia and Siberia.

One thing I have learned in my research is that many Yauk/Jauk families seem to originate near the Danube River or its tributaries! Some of the migrations from Germany to Russia for example relied heavily on the Danube for transportation. In the 1700's and earlier, when many Yauk/Jauk families were relocating, river traffic was the easiest method. So it now occurs to me that with enough digging into family histories and geneology, we may be able to connect MANY more families than I first had hoped!!!!