Look up scharf in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The surnames Scharf, Schärf, Schaerff, Sharf, as well as similar spellings of these names, usually have their origins in either the German or Irish languages. As a result of emigration from Europe, these surnames are now also common throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.
The German variants, which were likely spelled Schärf or Schaerf originally, usually trace their origins to Bavaria, although the surname is now common over all of Germany. Literally meaning "sharp", it is regarded as having originated as a medieval nickname, i.e. it described an attribute of an individual's personality, such as "sharp-wittedness".[1] The Yiddish spelling Sharf, as well as the other variants, are found among Ashkenazi Jews.
In Ireland, Scharf and related surnames, such as Scariff, were originally found in the south-western counties of Kerry and Limerick.[citation needed] They are now also common in counties Kilkenny and Carlow.[2] In Ireland, there are several different folk etymologies of the surname. One claims that it is indigenous to Ireland, although no Old Irish personal names closely resembling it have been identified. A second theory of the surname's origins holds that it came to Ireland with the Norse-speaking Vikings that invaded and settled in Ireland, becoming known as the Norse Gaels. Following the Viking invasions of Ireland in the 10th century, many Vikings and their descendants were gaelicized. According to this theory, one or more Vikings carried the name "Skarf", literally "cormorant", but also in a vernacular sense "glutton", "scoundrel" or "rascal".[3] After Oliver Cromwell invaded and reconquered Ireland, prejudicial laws were enacted by the British. The Statutes of Kilkenny banned the use of the Irish language (including personal names) in most of Leinster. Many indigenous Irish, anglicized their names to sound even more English. Hence, through complex and varying degrees of gaelicization and anglicization, a name such as Skarf may have become various names in different parts of Ireland, including Scarf, Scarffe, Scarriff and Scharf.[4]
Listedit
Notable people with the name include:
Aaron Scharf (1922–1993), American born British art historian
Adolf Schärf (1890–1965), Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party
^Cahill, Sean (2007). Barra Ó Donnabháin symposium 2007. Glucksman Ireland House NYU.
This page lists people with the surnameScharf. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
December 15, 2023
scharf, look, scharf, wiktionary, free, dictionary, surnames, schärf, schaerff, sharf, well, similar, spellings, these, names, usually, have, their, origins, either, german, irish, languages, result, emigration, from, europe, these, surnames, also, common, thr. Look up scharf in Wiktionary the free dictionary The surnames Scharf Scharf Schaerff Sharf as well as similar spellings of these names usually have their origins in either the German or Irish languages As a result of emigration from Europe these surnames are now also common throughout the United States Canada and Australia The German variants which were likely spelled Scharf or Schaerf originally usually trace their origins to Bavaria although the surname is now common over all of Germany Literally meaning sharp it is regarded as having originated as a medieval nickname i e it described an attribute of an individual s personality such as sharp wittedness 1 The Yiddish spelling Sharf as well as the other variants are found among Ashkenazi Jews In Ireland Scharf and related surnames such as Scariff were originally found in the south western counties of Kerry and Limerick citation needed They are now also common in counties Kilkenny and Carlow 2 In Ireland there are several different folk etymologies of the surname One claims that it is indigenous to Ireland although no Old Irish personal names closely resembling it have been identified A second theory of the surname s origins holds that it came to Ireland with the Norse speaking Vikings that invaded and settled in Ireland becoming known as the Norse Gaels Following the Viking invasions of Ireland in the 10th century many Vikings and their descendants were gaelicized According to this theory one or more Vikings carried the name Skarf literally cormorant but also in a vernacular sense glutton scoundrel or rascal 3 After Oliver Cromwell invaded and reconquered Ireland prejudicial laws were enacted by the British The Statutes of Kilkenny banned the use of the Irish language including personal names in most of Leinster Many indigenous Irish anglicized their names to sound even more English Hence through complex and varying degrees of gaelicization and anglicization a name such as Skarf may have become various names in different parts of Ireland including Scarf Scarffe Scarriff and Scharf 4 List editNotable people with the name include Aaron Scharf 1922 1993 American born British art historian Adolf Scharf 1890 1965 Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party Caleb Scharf American astronomer Charles W Scharf American businessman CEO and board member Dorothy Scharf 1942 2004 English philanthropist and art collector Eddy Scharf born 1953 German poker player Erwin Scharf 1914 1994 Austrian politician George Johann Scharf 1788 1860 German born English painter draughtsman and lithographer George Scharf 1820 1895 British art critic illustrator and director of the National Portrait Gallery Gerhard Scharf Austrian para table tennis player Henry Scharf 1822 1887 English born American illustrator Shakespearean actor and professor John Thomas Scharf 1843 1898 American historian author journalist and politician Jurgen Scharf born 1952 German politician Kenny Scharf born 1958 American painter Kurt Scharf 1902 1990 German clergyman and bishop of the Evangelical Church in Germany Ludwig Scharf 1864 1939 German lyricist and translator Mark Scharf born 1956 American playwright actor and teacher Mark Scharf born 1963 American Photographer Artist Graphic Artist magazine publisher Michael Scharf born 1963 American law professor Director of the Summer Institute for Global Justice Michael Scharf poet born 1969 American poet and critic Michael Scharf born 1974 American entrepreneur Natasha Scharf British author disc jockey presenter and journalist Nick Scharf 1858 1937 American baseball player Roman Scharf Austrian businessman Shlomo Scharf born 1943 Israeli football player and manager Stuart Scharf c 1941 2007 American composer guitarist and philosopher Ted Scharf born 1951 Canadian ice hockey player Walter Scharf 1910 2003 American film composer Werner Scharf 1905 1945 German actor Wilfried Scharf born 1955 Austrian zither player and professor William Scharf 1927 2018 American artistSee also edit nbsp Look up Scharf in Wiktionary the free dictionary Scharff Scharffs Sharp SharpeReferences edit Scharf Family Crest 1 2 3 4 Murphy Mark 8 Apr 2001 Murphy Notes 49 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Cahill Sean 2007 Barra o Donnabhainsymposium 2007 Glucksman Ireland House NYU nbsp This page lists people with the surname Scharf If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page you may wish to change that link by adding the person s given name s to the link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Scharf amp oldid 1162753526, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
