Is the last name "Eichman" offensive?

Question

What are your thoughts? Do you associate Eichman with anyone? Would you have changed it after WW2?

Answer 1

Well, when you ask it that way, of course it brings to mind Adolf Eichmann.  But just seeing the surname without any "prompting", I wouldn't give it much thought.  I've known several people named Eichman, so normally, my first reaction would be to think of them.  I think it's a common enough surname that it's not automatically associated with the n**i war criminal.  

On the other hand, I've often wondered about the fact that I've never met anyone named Hitler.  Sounds like a common enough name... seems like I would've run into one at some point.  Did all the Hitler families change their surname after WWII??

Answer 2

http://www.howmanyofme.com/search/

There are 912 people in the U.S. with the last name Eichmann.

Statistically the 29, 402nd most popular last name.

There are 0 people in the U.S. with the last name Hitler (Hmmm. I wonder why.  NOT!!)

(After what these ash-holes, to put it nicely, did, I'd DEFINITELY change my name.

Answer 3

Well, Adolf Eichmann evidently thought so; he changed his name to Ricardo Klement after the war when he lived in Argentina.  But, as somebody from an "interesting and active" family myself, I don't think anybody should be held accountable for the actions of their relatives (good, bad, or indifferent) and should be judged solely of their own merits, so I don't think you should have to change it.  

Hitler's relatives (a nephew and his family) in the U.S., who were named Hitler, changed their names for obvious reasons, but there were very few Hitler's.  Eichmann was not a particularly uncommon surname, and in fact several Eichmann's in America were Jewish.  (A lot of names that are usually Jewish by association in America can go either way in Germany; for example- here, the name Rosenberg is usually assumed to be Jewish, but it was the surname of one of the most influential n**i philosophers and statesmen.)