Some variations are clearly errors in transcription.
However, until the late 1800's in Germany spelling was not considered important. We've seen various surname spellings within the same village, within families, and have noted several cases where individuals have used more than one variation in their lifetime. We're not sure of the origin of these names. Since these two names have been used interchangeably in church records, and appear in the same general area of Mecklenburg, we assume for now they have a common origin. If you want to see where these areas are located, check our Maps link.