Surname Grünenfelder - Meaning and Origin
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read moreGrünenfelder: What does the surname Grünenfelder mean?
The last name Grünenfelder is a German surname, which literally means ‘green fields’. Like many German surnames, Grünenfelder is a toponymic surname related to place of residence or origin. Derived from ‘green’ and ‘field’, it is likely that people who bore the last name were settlers in a rural area with a lot of lush, green fields. Depending on the time period, the family could have been involved with farming or other rural occupations.
The earliest known iteration of Grünenfelder comes from a birth record in 1582. As surnames became more prevalent throughout Germany, more Grünenfelders began to appear in documents during the 17th century. It is likely that Grünenfelders resided throughout different German-speaking areas such as modern-day Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and areas of Eastern Europe.
Today, Grünenfelders are still quite common in German-speaking areas. Notable people with the last name include German footballer Max Grünenfelder, Nazi-Hopoer toadie and lawyer Gustav Grünenfelder, and French Conservative politician Arnold Grünenfelder. Additionally, there is a small peak in the number of Grünenfelders living in the United States and Canada.
At its core, the last name Grünenfelder represents a strong connection to the land, likely resulting from a long, ancestral history in rural German-speaking areas.
Order DNA origin analysisGrünenfelder: Where does the name Grünenfelder come from?
The last name Grünenfelder is most commonly found in Switzerland and Germany. It is one of the many variation of the German surname of Greenfield, which originated as a habitation name to denote someone from either of the places called Grünenfeld in Switzerland or Greenfield in Germany.
In Switzerland, Grünenfelder is found in all areas of the country, with especially large concentrations in the cantons of Zurich, Bern, and Aargau. It is also common in many of the towns dotting the Rhine Valley, which shares a border with Germany.
In Germany, Grünenfelder is relatively widespread, especially around the states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony. It is also found in the capital, Berlin, as well as in some of the more rural parts of the country.
Outside of Switzerland and Germany, the Grünenfelder name is surprisingly rare. However, the surname did travel to the United States with European immigrants in the late 19th and early 21st centuries, and can be found in small pockets in other countries around the world as well, primarily due to international emigration.
Variations of the surname Grünenfelder
The variant spellings for the surname Grünenfelder are Grunenfelder, Grunefielder, Grunenfelder, Grunefeler and Grünefeler. All of them are surnames of the same origin.
The Grünenfelder name originates from a place in the former Austrian Empire. The name Grünenfelder is derived from an old place-name called Grüntal, which translates from Middle High German to mean “green valley”. This place was an especially fruitful and wooded area, which led to this valley being named Grünenfelder.
Over time, many people who lived in this valley adopted either the name Grünenfelder or a variation of it as their surname. From this, several alternate surnames developed, including Grunenfelder, Grunefielder, Grunenfelder, Grunefeler and Grünefeler.
Grünenfelder is a common surname in German-speaking countries, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This name may also be found in the United States, as Germans began immigrating to America in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s and many of these emigrants took the Grünenfelder surname with them to their new homes.
The Grünenfelder surname is still a proud and significant symbol of German heritage. Whether spelled Grünenfelder, Grunenfelder, Grunefielder, Grunenfelder, Grunefeler or Grünefeler, each version still carries a strong connection to German history.
Famous people with the name Grünenfelder
- Michel Grünenfelder: Swiss skiing champion
- Ueli Grünenfelder: Swiss composer
- René Grünenfelder: Austrian songwriter
- Joanna Grünenfelder: Swiss actress
- Christian Grünenfelder: Swiss politician
- Julian Grünenfelder: Swiss footballer
- Alina Grünenfelder: Swiss singer
- Elio Grünenfelder: Swiss entrepreneur
- Michael Grünenfelder: Swiss actor
- Wolf-Dietrich Grünenfelder: German football manager
- Helmut Grünenfelder: Austrian-born American paleontologist
- John Grünenfelder: American oceanographer
- Wolfgang Grünenfelder: Swiss mathematician
- Edzard Grünenfelder: German singer-songwriter