Sutermeister

How Was The Family Name Sutermeister Formed? There are a number of possible explanations. A Sudermeyger can be found in the tax register of 1465 in Zofingen, Canton Aargau, the origin of the clan. The name Suttermeister appears for the first time in 1536 in the town property register. The name appears often from 1536 in manuals and diaries, written either Suttermeyster, Suttermeister or Sutermeister. The first bearer of this name was admitted to town citizenship and admitted into the Shooter's Guild, according to guild records, the same year. It was Hans Sutermeister 1. As far as it can be determined, the family received "public charges" from 1569. This meant that the Sutermeisters numbered among those families of that important Bernese town whose members could be elected to government. A magister sutorum, master shoe maker, can be found in the nearby monastery of St. Urban, in 1277. The monastery was founded in 1142 by the nobles Von Langenstein. It is possible one of the monks or house workers made the shoes and received his name according to his profession? This Latin expression was also used at Strassburg in the 13th Century. The Bishop used it to designate the lay supervisor of the shoemakers guild. This magister sutorum, appointed by the Bishop, was a functionary with professional training. During the reformation, Zofingen was a religious border town, Protestant, while the surrounding towns were Catholic and in the year 1525, as in other places, there were arrivals and departures of people. Could it be, that the magister sutorum working at that time at St. Urban left for reasons of religion and went to Zofingen, where he "Germanized" his name to Sutermeister? Another interpretation is that there was once a Suter who married a woman named Meister and that for one reason or another he was finally designated with both names together. Perhaps it was to distinguish him from another Suter working in the same profession. There was a family with the name Meister in Zofingen until 1610. Michael Meister was a member of the shooter's guild in 1520. The first Sutermeister could then well have married a daughter of that Meister. This theory can be disproved, however, by another supposition, namely, that Suter really being a master shoemaker was then called meister Suter which was changed to Sutermeister. Such changes in names were common and caused much confusion. There was an ironsmith one day with the name of Konrad Frank and the next day named Konrad Schmid. There also was a bricklayer named Spinner, which later appears under the name of Maurer (Bricklayer). There also was a Wolfgang Suter who was sometimes called Wolfgang Sutermeister. Hans Sutermeister 1 was sometimes referred to as Hans Suter and Hans Bader (Bathhouse Keeper), according to his profession. According to Schauenberg, the Zofingen genealogist, there existed no Hans Suter at Zofingen but rather Hans Bader, as mentioned in the town's register of deeds. This register also mentions, in 1450, a hospital attendant, Werner or Wernher Suter. Hospital attendant in German is "spitelmeister". Consequently, he was called Meister Suter or the reverse. He was originally from Kolliken (near Zofingen). A later hospital attendant was a Rudolf Suter who had a son called Hans. This may be the first above mentioned Hans Sutermeister(1). There are many possibilities and unanswered questions. Let us, therefore, abandon the two part name and investigate the basic component "Suter". Originally, Suter came from the Latin expression sutor, which designated a man practicing a profession of sewing, but actually meant in the 13th Century someone we would call today, a tailor. Sutor or sutorius and sutrinus came from sutura which means to suture or to join, this could be understood to mean someone joining together leather or to make shoes. For the Romans, to sew was "suere" and for the Alamans, it was "sutari" from which is derived the "middle higherman" "sutoere". A dress tailor and dress sewer were called "pannicida" and "sartorius" respectively. The handicraft was called "tuchscharer" (cloth cutter) in the old Swiss Confederation. The above-mentioned "middle higherman", "sutoere" became "sutere" and "seuter". Finally, one began to call "die so schuoch machent", those who make shoes, Suter. Parallel to this, we find also the names "Schuochsuter", "Schusterus", and "Schuhsuter". Later, different varieties of all of these names appear: Sudor, Suttor, Sautter, Suder, Suttner, Saudte, Seuter, Sutterlin, Sutterle, Suterman, and etc. We find the Suters in the different histories of Switzerland as follows: about 1250 at St. Gall, the three brothers Gilbert, Walter, and Thomas Soutter, arrive there from Scotland. 1294 at Bern, the Councilman Peter Sautter. 1310 at Muri and Wohlen, Chunradus Sutor 1326 at Schangnau, the family Suter. 1344 at Baden, Heinz der Suter. 1386 at Lucerne, Jacob Sautter or Suter vor dem Hof, killed at the battle of Sempach (1386). 1411 at Safenwil, Uli Suter 1436 at Zofingen, Hans Suter, arrived there from Lucerne. The Sautters came to Lucerne from St. Gall and before St. Gall, from Scotland. This would mean that the Zofingen Sutermeisters have their origin in Scotland. Curiously enough, the word "souter" in old English, also means shoe maker. The father of three brothers who went to St. Gall in the 13th Century was named Hugo Soutter of Johnston. In 1633 one of that family was made lord and since then, the clan is named Johnston of Lochwood. Relatives of those Soutters of St. Gall not only went to Lucerne, but also to Appenzell, Bern, Schwyz, Zurich, Glarus, Zug, Solothurn, Basel, Grisons, Mulhouse, and to Wirttemberg. Between the 13th and 15th Centuries some went to Baden (Aargau) and to Geneva. Those who went to Geneva can still be found under the name of Sautter. Instead of Sutor, one could try to bring the family name of Suter in connection with "Saltus", meaning forest or also leap, sprung, fall or with the Greek word "stoer", meaning saver. This probably would lead to nothing; at least, it might eventually explain the significance of the coat of arms?

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