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I'm not saying any particular background is all the same. That would be silly. I am saying that those traits are common among the people I mentioned. 5'10" is considered "tall" for a female. I don't where you inherited your "dark" traits from but you have said you are mixed, so that might be it.
Hardly, the French in my tree is from 300 years ago, and it was from 1 ancestor.
My dads family is solidly German all down the line, they are all brown haired and brown eyed, and over 6'. I'm pretty average height on that side of the family.
My point is to say that Germans are a mixed bag, we dont all have blue eyes and light hair.
I'm flipping through pix right now from my moms side of the family, the pix are from not too long after that part of the family immigrated from Germany in the 1860's, dark hair and non-blue eyes.
Hardly, the French in my tree is from 300 years ago, and it was from 1 ancestor.
My dads family is solidly German all down the line, they are all brown haired and brown eyed, and over 6'. I'm pretty average height on that side of the family.
My point is to say that Germans are a mixed bag, we dont all have blue eyes and light hair.
I'm flipping through pix right now from my moms side of the family, the pix are from not too long after that part of the family immigrated from Germany in the 1860's, dark hair and non-blue eyes.
Very true. I've been to Germany and I saw many dark haired people. I should also mention that I came across some people with very light skin and red hair who looked like they could have come from Ireland or Scotland.
Thanks in advance for insights. I have few follow-up Qs on this issue.
1. Why do Germany produce lots of great engineers? I used to think it was coincidence but throughout the history, they have been producing excellent engineers. Car makers like Mercedez-Benz, Porsche, and BMW are all german-engineered. Also, the first ever ballstic rocket missile was invented by Wernher Von Braun. Also, the Germans displayed their marvelous military technology during WWII. Do Germans have innate aptitude for math and science?
2. What makes Germans stand out from other Europeans such as French, British and Dutch? What are some of the cultural characteristics/qualities that distinguishes Germans from others?
3. Is it true that some German immigrants changed their last name once they settled in the U.S.? For instance, I have seen very few Americans with the last name, "Braun" and "Jodl." Also I don't recall ever meeting an American with the last name, "Manstein", "Keitel", "Guderian", "Krebs", "Donitz", and "Rommel."
3. Is it true that some German immigrants changed their last name once they settled in the U.S.? For instance, I have seen very few Americans with the last name, "Braun" and "Jodl." Also I don't recall ever meeting an American with the last name, "Manstein", "Keitel", "Guderian", "Krebs", "Donitz", and "Rommel."
Thanks in advance for further insights.
Quite a few Germans coming through Ellis Island had their names changed involuntarily, due to incompetent clerks, still more changed their own surnames during WW1 and WW2 due to perceived hostility, even though they had been loyal Americans for decades.
Quite a few Germans coming through Ellis Island had their names changed involuntarily, due to incompetent clerks, still more changed their own surnames during WW1 and WW2 due to perceived hostility, even though they had been loyal Americans for decades.
- They look a lot like the Dutch (tall and blond)
- Their eating habits : pure malt beer,schnaps (prune or cherry alcohol), pretzels, sausages w sweet mustard,potato salad,brown bread, sausage sandwich for breakfast, hearty foods necessary in their continental climate; they don't eat 3-course meals but rather go after the regular meal to a tea salon to eat pastries (especially the ladies and elderly) and drink coffee (they have a German coffee brandmark, Tschibo®).
Interesting thread. I have German ancestry and have lived there. That is the source of my perspectives.
Firstly, it helps these discussions to take the "blond and blued eyed" stereotype and throw it out the window. Do not get me wrong. One is more likely to find such an individual in Germany or other germanic countries than let's say Portugal. And one can also find their German-American counterpart- Karl Mecklenburg, former defensive end for the Denver Broncos is a stellar example with his German counterpart being former NBA Player, Detlef Schrempf. But they were never the majority.
Germans do tend to be tall, with the women being voluptuous and the men gangly. Both sexes tend to have pointed noses, but in a nice way. German males, if I had to generalize, and I guess I am, tend to have very pronounced brows and light, sort of "fishy" eyes. Hair runs the gamut, but tends to be thin. Not balding, just not thick. Former tennis player Boris Becker epitomizes this with his German-American counterpart being former Congressman Richard Gephardt.
Were I to name another archtype German, actor Jurgen Prochnow would be one with his German-American counterpart being former NY Giants QB, Jeff Hostetler. Really, look no further than these two. And both have dark hair.
Of course, as with anything, one can find lots of exceptions.
And, as mentioned, ethnicity has been diluted here in the States. Nonetheless, Germans are still the biggest ethnic group in the USA. Whenever I travel to areas in the Midwest which are still more homogenous, the look of the people harks back to my time in Germany.
So I would say, yes, you can spot them on both sides of the Atlantic. But not all the time.
My Grandfather (Mom's Dad) of 2nd G of German ancestry would always say, "ya can tell they're German, just look at the nose". He was kidding tho. Wasn't he?
He had the blond hair (like his mom) when a kid. My Mom has the darker hair. My Grandfather was one of 7 kids. I don't recall all of the hair color on each one altho I do recall two of his sisters seemed to have the dark hair.
It's interesting that some have said blond for the S. Ger areas and darker for the northern regions. It's got me wondering what regions my G. Grandfather and G. Grandmother were each born in. I may have to ask some of my cousins, who have taken up the geneology as my Grandfather is no longer around for me to ask. Maybe I can ask my Uncle sometime when I see him next.
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He was kidding tho. Wasn't he? 
