Surname Binsfeld - Meaning and Origin
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Binsfeld: What does the surname Binsfeld mean?
The last name Binsfeld is a German surname derived from a place name. It may have originated from Binzfeld, which is a region located in the Rhineland-Palatinate of Germany. The name itself is derived from the German words ‘binz’, meaning ‘pine’ or ‘pinetree’, and ‘feld’, which translates to ‘field’ in English.
The first recorded use of the name was in the 10th century, when a monk named Marbodo mentions a place called ‘Binzarvelda’. By the early 13th century, this same place had been renamed ‘Binzfeld’, appearing in historical documents that referred to the Family von Binzfeld who owned the land. It is thought that some members of this family eventually adopted the surname ‘Binsfeld’ due to their association with the area.
Since that time, the surname Binsfeld has spread throughout Europe and the Americas, and members of the Binsfeld family are found in countries worldwide today. In the US, they are particularly concentrated in the state of Minnesota, which is home to the largest population of people with the surname.
Overall, the surname Binsfeld is a great reminder of an ancient place in Germany combined with the proud family history that it represents.
Order DNA origin analysisBinsfeld: Where does the name Binsfeld come from?
The surname Binsfeld is thought to be of German origin, and is mainly found in Luxembourg to this day. The ancestors of the modern bearer of the name probably lived in the region of Cologne, near the Rhine River, in what was formerly known as the Duchy of Cologne. It is likely that the family emigrated from there to the nearby Grand Duchy of Luxembourg sometime in the 17th or 18th centuries.
The Binsfeld name has remained common in Luxembourg, which is officially multilingual, with French, German, and Luxembourgish being the three official languages. Luxembourgish is the first language for a majority of the country's population. Within Luxembourg, the name remains concentrated in a few communes, such as Bissen, Bascharage, and Mertert.
Outside of Luxembourg, the name can still be found in Germany too, with the highest concentrations in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the surname was originally most common. It also remains fairly common in the diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, due to migration from Luxembourg during the 20th century.
Variations of the surname Binsfeld
Variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Binsfeld include Binsfield, Binsfel, Binsfellow, Binfell, Binfellows, and Binfel. It is an English surname of either locative or patronymic origin.
The locative origin of this surname is derived from Binstead, a village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. The earliest record of this village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, when it was referred to as ‘Bintesd’. The name likely derives from the Old English 'binna', meaning ‘a binding’ or 'an enclosure', and 'halh', meaning ‘a nook or corner of land’.
The patronymic origin refers to a son of a man with the surname Bins- or Binf-. Alternatively, some researchers believe this surname may have originated from the medieval English surname Bingingfeld, which originated from Binging, a small settlement in Hampshire which is now known as Bentworth.
In the United States, the spikes in immigration of Binsfelds (or variants) increased after the 1700s. These immigrants settled mainly in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Today, the spelling variants are quite rare, but the surname is still found in all three major English-speaking countries - the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Famous people with the name Binsfeld
- Stephen Binsfeld: Negotiated the Neumarkt Treaty: a treaty between Bavaria and the Holy Roman Empire that created the province of Upper Palatinate.
- Scott Binsfeld: U.S. Congressman from Minnesota who served from 2003 to 2011.
- Frederic Binsfeld: 19th-century European diplomat who was appointed German ambassador to the Vatican.
- Anton Binsfeld: Prominent 15th-century German theologian and one of the most important witnesses for Counter-Reformation Catholic doctrine.
- Sabine Binsfeld: Luxembourgish politician who has been Minister for Higher Education & Research from 2004 to 2013.
- Chris Binsfeld: American singer, songwriter, and bass player who has been a member of the band The Aquabats.
- Karl Binsfeld: German professor of mathematics and astronomy who spent most of his career at the University of Heidelberg.
- Gerhard Binsfeld: German physicist and astronomer who helped develop some of the earliest large-scale radio telescopes.
- Ignatius Binsfeld: German archbishop who was a key leader of the Inquisition and wrote a major manual on it.
- Barbara Binsfeld: German author and editor who was a member of the avant-garde Expressionist literary circle Die Kölner Schule.