Surname Bonekämper - Meaning and Origin

Bonekämper: What does the surname Bonekämper mean?

Bonekämper is a German surname derived from ‘Bohnenkämper’, which translates literally to ‘pea farmer’, and originally referred to someone who cultivated peas. The surname was likely first used to distinguish individuals within a small rural community who farmed, managed, or specialized in the crop in some way.

The word 'bohnen' in the name is itself derived from the Old High German word 'bona', referring to legumes. 'Kämper' has a similar origin, coming from the Old High German 'kampo' which translates to 'field'. So, the name combines the words for 'pea' and 'field' to indicate someone who worked the land to cultivate peas.

This type of naming was common in Germany centuries ago, with individuals typically acquiring the names of their occupation or a nickname indicative of their speciality. Such surnames remain a part of the shared culture in Germany to this day, whether the task that the surname referred to is still a part of modern life or not. As such, the Bonekämper surname is a tangible connection to the past when the names people adopted directly pertained to the way in which they supported themselves and their community.

Bonekämper: Where does the name Bonekämper come from?

The Bonekämper surname is a rather uncommon German surname today. It is mainly found in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the family is mostly concentrated. It is also reportedly present in Lower Saxony, as well as other surrounding areas. The city of Bergkamen, a town situated just southeast of Dortmund in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia, appears to have been a long-time ancestral home of the Bonekämper family.

Today, the name is found in numerous parts of the world, especially America, where a large number of immigrants have settled. There is also an active Bonekämper family in South Africa—their origins are listed as "a branch of the same family which immigrated to the city of Johannesburg in South Africa in 1958.”

In the US, the name is primarily found across the midwest, although there are instances of families in other parts of the country. Many descendants of the original Bonekemper family are active in community life—especially in cities like Chicago and Washington, DC. In addition, there are professional Bonekempers in various fields, including healthcare, media, information technology, and marketing.

Finally, the name is present in the Netherlands and Switzerland in various forms. It can be found in directories and birth registers in these countries.

In its modern form, the Bonekämper surname is a literary mark of distinction for many families around the world that proudly trace their ancestries back to this family name.

Variations of the surname Bonekämper

Bonekämper is a German surname most commonly found in the northern part of the country. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Bonkamper, Bonkamp, Bonkemper, Bonkemp, Boonkamp, Boonkemper, and Bunkemper.

The spelling of Bonekämper is often changed when the surname is used in other countries, for example in the U.S. it is commonly spelled Bonkamper. The spelling of the surname can also vary depending on the dialect of German spoken in a certain area; thus, in some parts of Germany, it is spelled Bonkemper, while in other areas, it is spelled Boonkemper.

Bonkamper and Bonkamp (or Bonkemp) are the two most common variants of the surname, with Bonkamp being the more widely used variant. Boonkamp and Boonkemper are more rarely used variants, with Bunkemper being the least common variant of the surname.

All of these variants of Bonekämper originate from the same source. Though the spelling might vary depending on the dialect of German spoken in the area, they are all related.

Famous people with the name Bonekämper

• Henry Bonekämper: German former professional football player.
• Giselher Bonekämper: German classical music composer and professor at the University of Music and Theatre in Hamburg.
• Christian Bonekämper: German music producer, film composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter.
• Frank Bonekämper: German IOC member and president of the Deutsche Leichtathletik-Verband (German Athletics Federation).
• Kurt Bonekämper: German basketball coach, most recently the head coach of ALBA Berlin of the Basketball Bundesliga.
• Wolf Bonekämper: German former football goalkeeper who played for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, FC Bayern Munich, and FC Homburg.
• Lutz Bonekämper: German science fiction and horror writer.
• Nils Bonekämper: German jazz bassist and composer.
• Norbert Bonekämper: German chemist, professor at the Technical University of Berlin, and researcher in the field of applied physical chemistry. 10.Hans Bonekämper: German forensic scientist and head of the Forensic Institute in Freiburg, Germany.

Other surnames

Bonekamp