Surname Burgtorff - Meaning and Origin

Burgtorff: What does the surname Burgtorff mean?

The last name Burgtorff is of German origin, and is believed to come from the Old German word for castle, “bergtige”. The name then evolved to include the suffix “-dorff”, which means “village”. Therefore, Burgtorff roughly translates to “castle village”.

The surname will usually have been given to a family whose ancestors resided in or near a castle, such as a guard, tenant or serf of the noble lords who owned it. It also may have been used as a toponymic surname, meaning a surname derived from the geographical or topographical features of the family’s home or hailing place.

The first recorded presentation of the name Burgtorff is that of Katherena Buretwarft, noted in 1430 in the old court records of Tiengen Germany. Later, Hans Christoph Burgtorff appears in the birth roll of 1656 in Herdorf, Germany.

The Burgtorff family continues to exist to this day, expanding geographically throughout the world and firmly entrenched in the genealogical tree of many families.

Burgtorff: Where does the name Burgtorff come from?

The Burgtorff last name is common primarily in parts of Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. It is also found in areas of the United States, primarily in states with large populations of German-Americans such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. According to reports from German researchers, approximately 45,000 people bearing the last name Burgtorff live in Germany alone.

Although it is difficult to trace the exact origins of a last name, Burgtorff first appears in records from the 13th century. The original Burgtorff was Hermann von Burgtorff, a member of the influential von Thurn und Taxis family, a powerful dynasty that often acted as diplomats and postmasters in the German Empire. The last name likely stemmed from a place called Burgtorff in the Preil district of the Mecklenburg563 region. The place name itself comes from the Old High German word “torf,” which translates to “turf.”

Today, many Burgtorffs can be found living in Europe, the U.S., and other parts of the world. Though the name is much less common than it was in the centuries past, varieties of the name are still used and have evolved over generations. For instance, “Burghtorf” and “orgtorff” are now-defunct surnames that are derived from “Burgtorff” and are sometimes found in historical records.

Variations of the surname Burgtorff

The Burgtorff surname is of German origin and is most commonly found in the U.S. The most common spelling of the surname is in fact "Burgtorff", however, variations of the name do exist. These variations include "Burktorff", "Burkdorf", "Burghdorf" and "Burgdorf". It is also sometimes seen spelled as "Burltorf", "Bortorff", "Bortorf" and "Borgdorff".

There are several other surnames from the same Germanic ancestry as Burgtorff, such as Burgdorf, Burgtorf, Burghardt, Burghard, and Burghart. One variant of these names is Burggedorf, which is a combination of the words burg ("castle") and dorf ("village").

The name may also be derived from the Middle High German Berchtold, meaning "bright ruler". This could account for the variant forms of Burgtorff, such as "Berchtold" or "Berchtoldt".

In addition, the Burgtorff surname has numerous other related surnames. These include Burgraff, Burggraf, Burghoff, Burger, Burgherr, Berghoff, and Bergmann. Although these all originated from the same Germanic ancestry and are related, the spelling of each can be slightly different.

Famous people with the name Burgtorff

• Katrin Burgtorff: German tennis player who attained a career-high singles ranking of world No. 36 in 1990.
• Christoph Burgtorff: Austrian actor and director who has appeared in various Austrian films and television series.
• John or Johann Burgtorff: German physicist and electrochemist best known for his work on the thermodynamic theory of galvanic cells.
• Margot Burgtorff: German actress who has appeared in a number of German film and television productions including the popular soap opera GZSZ.
• Joanne Burgtorff: British actress known for her roles in a variety of stage and television productions.
• George Burgtorff: American physicist who made important contributions to the field of particle physics and the development of particle accelerators.
• Peter Burgtorff: German musicologist and composer responsible for the first major biographical survey of the work of the German classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
• Paul Burgtorff: Austrian born football manager and administrator who was instrumental in the founding of the Austrian Football Association (OEFB).
• Tony Burgtorff: American singer-songwriter and composer, best known for his songwriting credits with many well-known artists including Elvis Presley.
• Hollis Burgtorff: American painter and sculptor active in the mid-20th century. His works are found in numerous major art collections.

Other surnames

Burgtorf