Re: Betreft: Surnames and like

Rob Nierse scripsit:
>
> No, "waas "something different. I think 'blurr' is something that comes
> closest. Maybe it is the way it is pronounced that makes it funny?
Western Yiddish "waass" /vAs/ means "white", and Western Yiddish was
certainly spoken in the eastern part of the Low Countries until 1850
or so.  "Waas" is a Jewish name (at least all the bearers of it
I know of --- it's quite rare in the U.S. --- are Jews), so this
etymology seems plausible, but no more than that.

--
John Cowan                                   cowan@ccil.org
       I am a member of a civilization. --David Brin