Hitler family
The Hitler family comprises the relatives and ancestors of Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945), an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the Nazi Party, who was the dictator of Germany, holding the title Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state as Führer und Reichskanzler from 1934 to 1945. Adolf Hitler had a central role in the rise of Nazism in Germany, provoking the start of World War II, and holding ultimate responsibility for the deaths of many millions of people during the Holocaust.
| Hitler family | |
|---|---|
| Earlier spellings | Hiedler, Hüttler |
| Place of origin | Austria |
| Members |
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| Traditions | Roman Catholics |
The family has long been of interest to historians and genealogists because of the biological uncertainty of Hitler's paternal grandfather, as well as the family's inter-relationships and their psychological effect on Hitler during his childhood and later life.
Alois Schicklgruber (Adolf's father) changed his surname on 7 January 1877 to "Hitler" (derived from that of his deceased stepfather, Johann Georg Hiedler), which was the only form of the last name that his son Adolf used. Before Adolf Hitler's birth, his family used many variations of the family surname "Hitler" almost interchangeably. Some of the common variants were Hiedler, Hüttler, Hytler, and Hittler.