When Latvian peasants were choosing surnames after emancipation
from serfdom, they were strongly encouraged by the German and
Russian rulers to choose names in their own language, and were
forbidden to choose names of local nobles or famous people.
While not all obeyed this directive and chose German names (or
had German names assigned to them by clerks), many did choose
names from the Latvian language. Predictably, most of these
names were drawn from elements important to the everyday life of
peasants. Which brings us to today’s Surname Saturday – Latvian
surnames that have roots in food or food production! I’m going
to tell a story of preparing dinner. Surnames I’ve come across
appear in bold, the English translation and in what parish
records I’ve seen them in brackets. Before you can even start to
prepare dinner, unless you are a Mednieks (hunter; Liepāja) or a
Zvejnieks (fisherman; Skulte, Sece), you will need to pay a
visit to the Miesnieks (butcher; Brenguļi). You should also
thank the Arājs (ploughman