WHAT'S IN A NAME?

When I first decided on a career in show business it was suggested that I might wish to change my surname. I thought the idea absurd. Agents assured me a shortened name, at the very least, would make it easier for people to remember. I just couldn't bear the thought. I have a very strong identity with my name which I wasn't willing to surrender. For the past twenty years my agents have claimed they "represent the biggest name in show business." I like that.

Now pronouncing my name is a whole other matter. In my immediate family it is pronounce two different ways. In the larger family it is pronounced four different ways. Here is the phonetic pronunciation as I say it mull'-ler-lie-lee, accent is on the first syllable.

When trying to spell Muellerleile it's helpful to remember that every third letter is an "E."

If you happen to be interested in the genealogy of names then read on. Having spent nearly 30 years working on my family tree I've gathered quite a bit of information.

There is no question that the Muellerleile surname is unique. In fact we can safely say if you have our name you are related. Even in the motherland, Germany, the name is unusual.

The name has had a long genesis. Most recently, those who immigrated to America entered the country using several derivations (Mullerleile, Muellerleile, Millerleile, Millerlile, Millerline). Whether these came about through immigration errors, "Americanizing"or just seeking simplification, we are a larger family tree than you might first imagine.

In 1986 I received from a German historian, Gerhard Finkbeiner, this historical explanation of our name. In 1992 it was re-verified and expanded by John Mark Muellerleile.

"The first sign of the name Muller Lawlin,' appeared in Schutteral at the end of the 15th century in a legal dispute over the ownership of the Neuhauser farm. The Lawlin' seems in his case to still have been a distinct name addendum-- he is Muller Lawlin (from Nikolaus.) From this combination came a surname. In 1564, the form Mullerleuwelin,' with the umlaut, was documented in tax records. The form became simplified until 1577 it was Mullerleulen.' In 1616, the name appeared in the form Mullerleylin.' The -lin' word endings evolved into -le' word endings through the 17th and 18th centuries, hence Mullerleile.' Because umlauts are not commonly used in America, the name is often spelled Muellerleile' in an effort to preserve the proper pronunciation."

In 1992 I received this explanation from Christoph Mullerleile, Oberursel, Germany:

"All Mullerleiles hail from Lahr and surrounding areas. In the archives of the 16th century they start as Mu*ller-Lawlin and gradually become Muller-Leuwelin. -Laulin, -Laule, -Leyle, -Leile, Mullerleile. There are two theories to the origin of the name. One is that the Mullers from the Lauenberg, called Laulin and then Laule, near Seelbach in Schuttertal were the forefathers of the Mullerleiles. There from derives the name Muller-Laule. The other theory is that Lawlin is a transmogrification of Nikolaus. St. Nikolaus (Santa Claus') is the patron of the church in Seelbach. In the documents of those days people are written by their surname first, and then come the Christian name. The first Mullerleile could have been a Nikolaus Mullerleile or rather Mullerleile Nikolaus. The whole family was named after him."

"After the reformation in the 16th century the Mullerleiles living in Catholic villages remained Catholics, the other part living in the Protestant town Lahr became Protestants. The religious frontiers go right through the Lahr area."