Vatter

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Vatter.

Proper noun

Vatter (plural Vatters)

1. A surname from German.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Vatter is the 35537^th 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)

1. father
   • 1903, Robert Walser, Der Teich:

     So, das säge n'i am Vatter.

     I'll tell father.

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• Vadder (Limburgan Ripuarian)

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 The native dialectal form is obsolete Vader (except in the Limburgan-Ripuarian Transitional Dialects).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)

1. 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