Surname Bohnhorst - Meaning and Origin
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Bohnhorst: What does the surname Bohnhorst mean?
The last name Bohnhorst has origins in German and derives from pre-15th century Middle German words “bohne” and “hors” meaning “bean” and “horse” respectively. The surname is a topographic surname for someone who lived near a body of water that was used for riding horses, likely having “hors” in the name because the water was occasionally shallow enough for horses to cross without needing to be sit in a boat.
The earliest record of the family name appears in a document from 1356. Johann de Bohne-Horst appears in the document as a witness. This record was found in the Hohnhorst village, near the city of Lübbecke in the outer Weser region of North Rhine-Westphalia.
People with the Bohnhorst surname typically lived in North Germany. By the early 19th century, the surname spread to the United States through migration, and in 1860 the first Bohnhorst family appeared in the US census.
Today, Bohnhorst is still a common name in Germany, America, Canada and other parts of the world. Most people with the Bohnhorst surname live in Germany, though many have migrated to other countries.
The Bohnhorst name is typically associated with strength and determination, as it was once necessary for its bearers to take risks in order to sustain their livelihoods. Even today, those with the last name Bohnhorst are often seen as independent, determined and strong-willed.
Order DNA origin analysisBohnhorst: Where does the name Bohnhorst come from?
The last name Bohnhorst is mostly associated with Germany. It is believed to have originated from the city of Bremen, in the northern part of the country. A few centuries ago, Bohnhorst was a very common last name in the region but over time its usage diminished. It is still seen in northwestern Germany, primarily in the states of Lower Saxony, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein.
In modern times, the Bohnhorst surname is quite rare in Germany, however it still exists across the country. In fact, there are a few small villages in northwestern Germany with a large percentage of the population carrying this surname.
In the United States, the Bohnhorst name is much more scattered and is usually found in individuals of German ancestry. There are several dozen people with this surname living in the US today, although it is not as concentrated in any one area. Those with the surname are likely descendants of German immigrants from the mid-1800s.
With its origins in northwestern Germany, the Bohnhorst surname is probably most common in the countries that form the former German Empire. This includes not only Germany, but places such as Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Russia. The surname may also be fairly common in some areas of North and South America, as many Germans emigrated to the Americas in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Variations of the surname Bohnhorst
The surname Bohnhorst is a German surname derived from the name of an ancestral place of origin, which is located near Hamburg, in the district of Pinneberg.
Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Bohnhorst include: Bonhörst, Bonörst, Bahnhorst, Bahnhorster, Bannhörster, Bahnhöster, Bannhorst, Bannhorster, Buhnhörster, Bünhörster, Böhnhöster, Bunnhorst, Boenhorst, Boenhorster, Bohnhöfer, Bohnhoff, Bohnhoefer, Bohnhofer, Bohnhöver, Bönhoefen, Bönhoff, Buhnhorst, Buhnhorster, and Bühnhorst.
The surname Bohnhorst originally emerged from one particular area under the control of Otto, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, commonly referred to as Rhein-Holstein. During the 12th and 13th centuries, people bearing the Bohnhorst surname can be found living in Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost part of Germany.
It is thought that the name Bohnhorst was derived from the placename Bönhorn situated in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. This place was originally called 'Bohnehorst'. The name originally comes from the words 'boehne', which means 'bean', and 'horst', which is an old German word for a hill. It is likely that the first Bohnhorst families lived on a hillside surrounded by bean fields.
The Bohnhorsts are now widely spread throughout the world, with the largest numbers of people carrying the surname living in Germany, the United States, Canada, and Australia. The Bohnhorst surname is also present in the United Kingdom, Russia, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Famous people with the name Bohnhorst
- Kim Bohnhorst: a German competitive swimmer who won a bronze medal in the 4x100 m medley relay at the 2008 Olympics and a gold medal in the 4x100 m medley relay at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships.
- Mike Bohnhorst: an American football coach who was the offensive coordinator at Penn State from 2008 to 2011 and was the offensive line coach at Wisconsin for two years.
- John Bohnhorst: an American politician who served as a state Senator in Wisconsin from 1981 to 1987.
- Jennifer Bohnhorst: an American television writer who wrote for shows like Blossom and Caroline in the City.
- Benjamin Bohnhorst: a German cinematographer and director, best known for his film Morning Glow which earned him an Academy Award in 2017.
- Julius Bohnhorst: a German painter who gained notoriety for his portrait of Emperor Wilhelm II and his landscapes which often focused on the Bavarian Alps.
- Günter Bohnhorst: a German soccer player who represented them in the 1972 Olympics and made appearances for their national team on four separate occasions.
- Curtis Bohnhorst: a professor of veterinary medicine and immunology at Colorado State University who is best known for his work on avian influenza research, and recipient of the $125,000 Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation New Faculty Award in 2010.
- Philip Bohnhorst: an American businessman who founded the electronics manufacturer Union Standard Electronics in 1967.
- Margarete Bohnhorst: a German doctor and researcher who developed the technique of fetal heart rate monitoring during childbirth and co-founded the company Elektro Siemen in 1966.