Vatter
English
Etymology
Borrowed from German Vatter.
Proper noun
Vatter (plural Vatters)
- A surname from German.
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, Vatter is the 35537th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 633 individuals. Vatter is most common among White (96.84%) individuals.
Further reading
- Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Vatter”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.
Alemannic German
Alternative forms
- Vater, Fatter, fater, vàtter
Etymology
From Middle High German vatter, vater, from Old High German fater, from Proto-Germanic *fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr. Cognate with German Vater, Dutch vader, Plautdietsch Voda, West Frisian faar, English father, Icelandic faðir, Swedish far.
Pronunciation
- (Zurich) IPA(key): /ˈfɑtːər/
Noun
Vatter m (genitive Vatters, plural Vättere)
- father
- 1903, Robert Walser, Der Teich:
- So, das säge n'i am Vatter.
- I'll tell father.
- So, das säge n'i am Vatter.
- 1903, Robert Walser, Der Teich:
Central Franconian
Alternative forms
- Vadder (Limburgan-Ripuarian Transitional Dialects)
Etymology
From early modern German Vatter (contemporary Vater). The native dialectal form is obsolete Vader (except in the Limburgan-Ripuarian Transitional Dialects). Both from Old High German fater, fader.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfatʌ/
Noun
Vatter m (plural Vätter, diminutive Vätterche)
- father
- Menge Bapp hät jemeent, als Vatter moss mer seng Famillich alleen ernähre.
- My father thought that as a father you must provide for your family on your own.
Usage notes
- The commoner word for “male parent” is Bapp, Papp, but Vatter is common in other senses, e.g. “father” as a position within the family. (Compare the example above.)
- Only Vatter is used for the Christian God.
See also
- Motter