MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Exact origin of Swiss surname Odermatt
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Hello all,
I am new here. My husband’s roots are from Switzerland and we have been very curious what his last name translates to in Swiss. Any feedback would be much appreciated. I know there is a region there where Odermatt is very common.
Thank you!
Jen Odermatt
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Hello Jen Odermatt and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
The surname Odermatt comes from the villages of Dallenwil and Wolfenschiessen in the Valley of Engelberg in the Canton of Nidwalden in Central Switzerland.
It derives from the term “An der Matte”, which you could translate to “by the field/meadow” and was then adapted by speech to “Odermatt”.
There are some other names in the Canton Nidwalden including the part “matt” (meadow) like:
Andermatt (also a village), Indermatt or VonMatt.Hope this is what you wanted. I found the explanation on Swiss Radio, so linking it doesn’t make much sense, it’s in Swiss German.
Best,
Steph
Hi Steph –
Nice detective work. You have revealed part of a common and interesting pattern. As you know, cows and agriculture are today and have been historically important in Switzerland. As a consequence, there are a lot of different names for meadows and fields, and words related to them, especially in the local dialects. Examples in high German also include “die Wiese” and “die Weide.”
I run into it all the time when I am looking at maps in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. Place names as well as family names are good examples.
A word describing the rural economy is “Allmend” and it or close relatives are common in germanic languages, and the “Allmend” comprises forest, meadow,and pasture land – Wald, Weide and Feld. In the Jungfrau region, the name von Allmend (from the meadow) is common. Feldmann is a common surname. I know someone named Weidmann.
I run into the practice all the time with place names when I am looking at maps in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. Someone better educated than I might know if the practice holds true in the French, Italian, and Romansh -speaking regions.
Dallenwil –
For many years, the Gasthaus Kreuz in Dallenwill was a great restaurant with inexpensive rooms. I used it routinely as base when visiting Luzern. The chef, Ralph Thomas and his wife, Corinna, , shut it down and moved to Luzern a few years ago.They now run one of the best restaurants in Luzern.
http://www.bamboubythomas.ch/ en/
Great food, excellent service. The silly name comes from the fact that the restaurant was an oriental restaurant before he took it over.
After the Thomas closed it, then, the inn in Dallenwil was reopened by Damian Fry, who got a Michelin star very quickly.
http://www.kreuz-dallenwil.ch/
I tried it once, and was not overly impressed. Pretty good, certainly, and I expect to go back a few more times, but I don’t understand what Mr.Michelin saw in it to give it a star. Guess I’d not qualify as restaurant rater for Michelin. ;-(
Oh well.
I’d suggest the Odermatts stop in for a meal if they get to Switzerland.
Slowpoke
Hello!
Thank you for the detailed replies. Very interesting. We always thought the “matt” part of the name meant mountain, and was even told once Odermatt meant “daughter of the Matterhorn”. It goes without saying that we will definitely visit Switzerland, and more specifically Central Switzerland. As a child, my family drove through the Alps but I was only 12. I am a “foodie” so trying excellent food around the world is something I am passionate about.
Again, thank you kindly,
Jen Odermatt
Hi Jen,
As a foodie you don’t want to miss this trip report I think: http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/trip-report-part-1-zurich-and-vitznau.
Further resources:
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