Interesting Comments and Observations about the Hitler Surname

In the Yesteryear column of the guardian.co.uk is found an interesting column made up of comments about the surname Hitler. Following are just a couple as a teaser. Keep in mind that these are just comments, some lacking in veracity.

Was Hitler a common family name before 1945? What did Hitlers change their names to after the second world war?
John Burton, O’Connor, Australia

Hitler is not a particularly common German surname. In fact, Hitler himself was originally called Schicklegruber. Some have speculated that he changed his name to hide his Jewish descent.
Matt James, Sheffield, UK

Adolf Hitler was never called Schickelgruber. This was the name of his paternal grandmother. His father took the name of his supposed father, which was spelled Hiedler or Hitler according to preference, when he was 40, well before Adolf was born. Adolf Hitler had three surviving siblings. His half-brother Alois lived in Liverpool and had a son called William Patrick, who died in 1987. He changed his name and lived in the USA. He is believed to have left 4 sons, who have decided not to have children in order not to perpetuate the line. His sister Paula never married and had no children. She was known as Paula Wolf for a lot of her life. His half sister Angela married and had a daughter, Geli Raubal, who died in 1930. I believe there was also a son Leo Raubal who died in action in 1942. It is unlikely that the story of Adolf Hitler’s father being half Jewish is true. But since Anna Maria Schickelgruber died when her son was 5 years old no one will ever know the real details of what seems a very complicated story.
Susan Deal, Sheffield, UK

Read the full column.