I am German, my family name is Baute. This is a very uncommon name in Germany -- I am directly related to most of the "hits" on that map -- and for quite some time I have been trying to find out where this name actually stems from, and if it might mean anything. Tracing back my family tree ended in 1729, without the name-bearing ancestors ever leaving Germany. Research in German and related languages did not give any satisfying result, which only increased my interest in finding out.
Then, by some inspiration, I entered "Baute" into the English Wikipedia, and was surprised when I came up with several hits, including boxer Victor Manuel Baute, musician Carlos Baute, and politician Paulino Rivero Baute.
I do not speak Spanish, not a word of it, so knowing there are some people from the Spanish-speaking world that share my family name didn't help me much, aside from bringing me here with my questions:
- Is "Baute" a genuinely Spanish name? Is it common, or uncommon, in the Spanish world?
- Does it mean anything? If yes, what?
- If it doesn't mean anything in itself, what word(s) might it be derived from?