# Hitler Surname **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751 "2006-05-30T16:50:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/1 "2006-05-30T16:50:21Z")
Does anyone still use the Hitler surname as their family name, and if so, in what countries do they reside? Will there ever be a time when the Hitler surname will be just another family name, without the evil connations associated with it? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/2 "2006-05-30T16:56:17Z")
> **[Pleased to meet you, my name's... Hitler](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=349729)** > > I was in the GD thread about holocaust denial, when I came across this and other similar asides. I started typing my reply, but then realised I didn’t have anything to add to the OT because several posters had already made my points for me. I also... > **['Hitler' as a modern surname...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=313980)** > > Does anyone have the surname ‘Hitler’ anymore? If not, did other (unfortunate) families with the surname Hitler just change their name? What about Stalin or Pinochet? Just curious… Jim > **[Hitler in Circleville, Ohio?!?!?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=123756)** > > This is especially for Ohio dopers, as someone with copious arcane knowledge of the history of Pickaway County might be able to shed light on the matter. I’m curious as to how the sleepy little town of Circleville (i.e. the county seat of Pickaway... > **[How come there aren't any other Hitlers or Stalins?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=179441)** > > So…How come there aren’t any other families out there with Stalin or Hitler as their last name? Conversely, why aren’t there any dictators with more common names like Johnson or Smith? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/3 "2006-05-30T16:56:54Z")
IIRC from previous threads on this, there are several Hitlers living in the USA. Others live in the Caribbean, and I think there was mention of some in Africa somewhere. There will never be a time when the name doesn’t carry a negative connotation, IMO. We still have hang-ups about Attila and Judas, don’t we? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/4 "2006-05-30T17:04:26Z")
Try [ZabaSearch](http://www.zabasearch.com/). You might be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/5 "2006-05-30T17:11:10Z")
I apololgize if this is mentioned in one of the linked threads but isn’t it true that “Hitler” wasn’t even the original family name of Adolf? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/6 "2006-05-30T17:18:43Z")
I don’t know if there were many Hitlers before Adolf, comparatively. As far as I know, it’s a fairly unusual spelling of the name. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/7 "2006-05-30T17:28:08Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > I apololgize if this is mentioned in one of the linked threads but isn’t it true that “Hitler” wasn’t even the original family name of Adolf? Adolf Hitler’s father, Alois, was illegitimate. So Alois originally used his mother’s name, Schicklgruber. When Alois was 5, his mother married a man named Johan Hiedler. Eventually, he decided that Heidler was really his father, and when he was 40, he changed his last name to “Hitler”, which was a variant spelling of Hiedler. Here’s Cecil’s take: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_325b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_325b.html) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/8 "2006-05-30T21:46:30Z")
The only one I can think of is Vic Hitler, the narcoleptic comic. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/9 "2006-05-31T01:00:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > There will never be a time when the name doesn’t carry a negative connotation, IMO. We still have hang-ups about Attila and Judas, don’t we? Apparently not everywhere does that view of Attila exist. This [article](http://www.sundayherald.com/46410) is one source for stories that I’ve seen that discuss the popularity of the name Attila inHungary. Similarly I’ve seen other articles attesting to its popularity in Turkey. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-surname/358751/10 "2006-05-31T01:16:19Z")
Samir: “Why don’t you go by Mike?” Michael Bolton: “No way. Why should I change-_he’s_ the one who sucks.” Hehehe, never gets old. From what I gather, Hitler still has some relatives living, some here in the US.