Daily AncestorEhefrau
Ehefrau is German for "wife"; in records it names a married woman, often as dessen Ehefrau, "his wife," after her husband's name.
Ehefrau joins Ehe (marriage) and Frau (woman). Older records also use Hausfrau, Eheweib, Weib or Gattin for wife. In these records Hausfrau usually just means wife, not a housewife as an occupation.
A wife is commonly named with her maiden name: Anna Maria geb. Kolb, Ehefrau des Johann Hirsch. If only dessen Ehefrau appears with a first name, look in the couple's marriage entry for her surname.
As seen in a recordBaptism register of a German parish, 1840s
Johann Hirschbühler, Bauer, und dessen Ehefrau Anna Maria geb. Kolbenschlag
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How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Ehefrau." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/german/ehefrau. Last checked 2026-10-28.