Surname Beihl - Meaning and Origin
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Beihl: What does the surname Beihl mean?
The last name Beihl is of Germanic origin and is derived from the old German personal name 'Baldehvan' or 'Baldovan'. The element 'Bald', found in other Germanic surnames, is derived from the Old High German word 'balth' which means bold or brave. Meanwhile, 'ehvan' or 'ovan' is derived from an Old Germanic word which means 'law or custom'.
In the Middle Ages, it was common to add suffixes or prefixes to a name to denote an occupation, locality, social status, etc. In this case, Beihl is thought to have originated as a byname, or nickname, for someone tall or brave. It became popular as a surname in the 1700s and was most commonly used in Bavaria, Germany.
Today, the Beihl surname is found all over the world, although there is still a strong concentration in Germany. It's sometimes found as an Americanized version of the Bavarian spelling, 'Beyhl', or sometimes as Beal or Bale. It's also been occasionally brought to the United States as an Anglicized version of other surnames, such as Biel or Biehl.
The Beihl surname is a testament to the strength of Germanic culture and the pervasive influence of hereditary surnames. This surname embodies the courageous traits that its holders were known for in the Middle Ages, and it's comforting to think that these courage traits could still be found in the Beihl family today.
Order DNA origin analysisBeihl: Where does the name Beihl come from?
The last name Beihl is most common in the German-speaking areas of the world. In Germany, it ranks 8,772 out of a total 88,799 names in the population, indicating it is somewhat uncommon. It is also quite common in Switzerland, ranking 1,282 out of 38,906 names. In Austria and Liechtenstein, it ranks 622 out of 64,346 names and 13 out of 8,176 respectively. As far as the rest of the world, the surname is quite rare. In the United States, it ranks as the 19,235th most common name with 44 people in 2019 according to the US Census. Canada and Australia also have low amounts of people with the surname, with rank 40,260 out of 803,231 in Canada and 15,907 out of 1.5 million in Australia. Even in Scandinavia, it is quite rare; in Norway, it ranks 6,119 out of the top 757,940 names.
Overall, the last name Beihl is mainly concentrated in German-speaking areas in the world. It is also quite rare in other countries, often ranking in the thousands or tens of thousands even in countries with larger populations.
Variations of the surname Beihl
The surname Beihl has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin, all of which are derived from the Germanic first name Bill or Biel. These include:
Behl, Beil, Biel, Biehl, Bieber, Beetle, Beunk, Bühl, Bühler, Böhl, Böhler, Beihler, Beihlmann, Beal, Beall, Beige, Belohlavek, Byzek, Byczek, and Belavitz.
Behl and Beil are the most common variants of the surname Beihl, both of which are derived from the Old German "bila" meaning "desire" or "will." These spellings are the most commonly found in German records pre-WWII.
The variants Bieber, Beetle, and Beunk are found mainly in Austria and Germany, as well as in the United States. These spellings are derived from the Middle and modern German word for "Bär" meaning "bear".
The variants Bühl, Bühler, and Böhl, are found primarily in Austria and south-western Germany. The first two are derived from the Middle and modern German word for "hill", while the last one is derived from the Old Dutch word for "hill" or "forest".
The variants Beihler, Beihlmann, Beal, Beall, Beige, Belohlavek, Byzek, Byczek, and Belavitz are all found mainly in the U.S. and can be traced back to immigrants who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe to the United States between the 19th and 20th centuries.
Despite their many variants, the surnames Beihl, Behl, and Beil all have the same origin and represent different spellings, variants, and surnames of the same last name.
Famous people with the name Beihl
- William Beihl: American actor, who starred in ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Off the Map’, and ‘Friday Night Lights’.
- Leonard Beihl: American Judge of the Supreme Court of Montana
- Thomas William Beihl: German-born American industrial designer
- Claud Beihl: American jazz musician
- Pamelia Beihl: American psychiatrist and writer
- Bruce Beihl: American Real Estate Broker
- Brian Beihl: American technology expert
- Arlie Beihl: American clergyman of the German Reformed Church
- John Adam Beihl: German-born American luthier
- Robert Beihl: German actor