Hello everyone:
This is a message I received this week from Wolfgang Zopf in Linz, Austria. He has alot
of interesting information. I have links to his developing website on my homepage:
http://www2.go-concepts.com/~zopff
Hope everyone is keeping warm!
----- Original Message -----
From: Zopf Wolfgang
To: Tom Zopff
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2000 2:13 PM
Subject: Late Answer
Hi Tom !
Please excuse my (very) late answer to your last mail, but after Christmas holiday
there's quite a very lot to do in work and private as well.
So, but now I will begin to give you the information I have to the origin of the german
surname "Zopf".
Years before I began to practice my genealogy I found a company in England who had
registred a very great number of surnames and also about "Zopf". So I name this
"the official one" because I have also another explanation which fits much
better to my direct ancestors than the following does. But first the "original
one":
There are two explanations for the origin of the German surname Zopf or Zoph. Firstly, the
name is of local origin, that is, derived from an original bearer who once lived or held
land. In this case, the name is derived from the Middle High German word "zoph"
meaning "end, tail", often used in a transferred topographical sense to indicate
"one who dwelled on a tip or end of land". Alternatively, then name is of
nickname origin, belonging to the category of surnames descriptive of some personal or
physical characteristic of the initial bearer (this belongs also to MY explanation later
on...) In this instance, the name is derived from the Middle High German "zopfe"
meaning "plait", referring to the medieval fashion of knights wearing long
plaits. The following lines are from a medieval song:
"Seine Zoepfe waren so lang, dass sie dem Rosse zu beiten Seiten hingen" (his
braids were so long that they hung down on both side of his horse)
The earliest record of this surname or a variant dates back to the fourteenth century when
one Cuonrad Zoph is mentioned in Lornach (Germany) in 1348. In 1352 Heitze Zophe was a
citizen of Wimpfen an Peter mit dem (with the) czopfe is recorded in Kuttenburg in 1394.
In 1395 Herzug Albreche mit dem czoppe is listed an Burkh. Zopf was living in Ehringen in
1398.
Blazon of arms:
Azure, a phoenix rising out of flames all proper. Azure (blue) symbolizes the planet Venus
and indicates Truth and Loyalty. The phoenix is a symbol of Resurrection and Immortality.
Crest:
Between two buffalo horns proper, the phoenix of the arms
Origin:
Germany
So far, this is the explanation of the so called "Historical Research Center
Inc." Some years later I began with my own genealogy research and as a result of
that, I'd found out that my family came from a little village called "Steinbach
am Attersee". This village is situated near a monastery on the lake
"Mondsee" in Upper Austria.
The surname Zopf is in whole Austria a not very common name, but in this place there live
more than 30 families! So I asked the people there of the origin of this name and they
told me the following old legend:
In very former times, the monastery Mondsee has a great number of servants because this
monastery was (and is !) very rich and had to manage a great area of real estates, wood,
etc...
The traditional fashion which signifies them as servants was in this time to wear a plait.
(the german word of "plait" is "Zopf") One day all the servants of
this monastery joined together to make a rebellion against their masters. (It is no longer
known why...) But this rebellion failed and all servants were banished and taken to a
place on the other side of the lake, which could only be reached by boats but not by a
land way. And on this place, this servants began to build the village
"Steinbach".
I know, there is surely not everything true in this legend, but I believe that in every
legend is a little bit of truth and this story doesn't seems so unlikely, or ?
If you have some detailed questions about that, you can ask me anytime. You write, that
your surname came from "von Schwartzkyzopff". The word "von" shows
that the owner of this name was of noble birth. Schwartzkyzopff means in german
word-for-word "black-tail" and seems to be a double-barrelled name because here
in Austria I know the surename "Schwartzky" (a typical form of a viennese name)
and of course also Zopf(f).
So, I hope this information about the surname origin was a little bit of interest for you.
I will close now, because I'm very hungry and my dinner doesn't cook itself
(unfortunately). So you'll get the other answers of your mail as soon as I can.
I wish you and your family a good next week !
Bye Wolfgang