Surname Baltzel - Meaning and Origin
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Baltzel: What does the surname Baltzel mean?
The last name Baltzel is derived from German and is said to originally have derived its name from the town of Baldzel near Hamburg, Germany. The first known record of the name dates back to 1250.
Baltzel is an occupational surname, derived from a medieval profession of "Bauer" meaning a farmer or peasant. This term has been used to describe people who would work the land and live in a remote location away from the more urban areas.
The surname has seen a few alternative spellings throughout the years, including Bauzel, Balzell, Bawtel, Bolzeller, and Belsel. Variations of the name can also be found across Germany, Netherlands, and Austria.
The current prevalence of the surname is mostly located in Europe. In the United States, it is most popular throughout the Midwest. The surname of Baltzel is a relic of a bygone era, when people largely worked in rural agrarian-based societies. While no longer numerous, this surname is still found in many registers and records.
Order DNA origin analysisBaltzel: Where does the name Baltzel come from?
The last name Baltzel is predominantly found in Germany today. It is estimated that there are around 600 people living with this surname in the country. The name is also very common in regions of Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic, which were previously part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The surname Baltzel is thought to be of Germanic or Jewish origin, although the exact origin is unknown. It likely started as a personal name, a type of patronymic form used for a person's first or given name. In Germany, it could be a variant spelling of the surname Balser or Balsz. Records from the German state of Mecklenburg show that there were a few Baltzel families living in Greifswald in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the United States, the majority of people with the last name Baltzel are descendants of German immigrants who started settling in the country during the 1800s. According to the US census, there were an estimated 539 people in the US living with the surname Baltzel in 2018. Most states with higher concentrations of the surname are states in the Midwest such as Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio.
Variations of the surname Baltzel
Baltzel is a surname of German-Jewish, Polish-Jewish, and Czech-Jewish origin. Variants, spellings, and associated surnames of Baltzel include Balz, Balts, Balzil, Baaltzel, Balceil, Balceles, Balceli, Balcel, Balcell, Balcelle, Belcel, Belczl, Beltcel, Beltzl, Belz, Belzl, Beltsel, Beltsil, Bercel, Berchel, Betzel, Birchel, and Blaskowitz.
Baltzel is derived from the last name Beverczel. This name literally means “beekeeper” in German or Yiddish. During the medieval period, many European Jews adopted Germanic surnames. In the early 20th century, many Jews changed their Germanic surnames into a more Hebraic form, and this is how the surname Baltzel was created.
The German surnames Balz and Beltzel are common misspellings of the Baltzel surname. This is common because the letter “t” is not used in the Yiddish language, and many English speakers are not familiar with the spelling of “ltz”.
The Polish-Jewish variants of Baltzel are Belzl, Berczil, Birchel, and Blaskowitz. All of these surnames are derived from the original Beverczel surname in the same way that the German-Jewish Baltzel is.
The Czech-Jewish surname Baltzel is also spelled as Balceli and Balceles. Balceli, Balceles, and Balcell are all derived from the Yiddish word “balkel”, meaning “quick-footed” or “agile”. Again, these variants and spellings would have been created when families changed their original Germanic surnames to a more Hebraic form.
In conclusion, Baltzel is a surname of German-Jewish, Polish-Jewish, and Czech-Jewish origin. Variants, spellings, and associated surnames of Baltzel include Balz, Balts, Balzil, Baaltzel, Balceil, Balceles, Balceli, Balcel, Balcell, Balcelle, Belcel, Belczl, Beltcel, Beltzl, Belz, Belzl, Beltsel, Beltsil, Bercel, Berchel, Betzel, Birchel, and Blaskowitz.
Famous people with the name Baltzel
- Marissa Baltzel: American actress best known for roles on the television series NCIS: Los Angeles and House of Lies.
- Noah Baltzel: American basketball coach currently serving as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
- Jakob Baltzel: German footballer who currently plays for the lower divisions of his country's football system.
- Adrian Baltzel: Austrian golf player who competed for his country in the 2016 Olympics.
- Maximilian Baltzel: Professional ice hockey player from Germany who has won multiple championships in his country's top division.
- Linda Baltzel: American composer and visual artist who has collaborated with notable musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, and Beirut.
- Jürgen Baltzel: German historian and author who has written extensively about the Holocaust.
- Louis Baltzel: American Civil War veteran who was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor for his gallant actions in the Battle of Gettysburg.
- Philippe Baltzel: Luxembourgish politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for 16 years.
- Luise Baltzel: German opera singer who had notable performances at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and the Vienna State Opera.