Surname Grütters - Meaning and Origin

Grütters: What does the surname Grütters mean?

The last name Grütters is of German origin, and it derived from the Old German word "grut" which means ‘to dig’. This is to say that it is likely that people with the surname Grütters had an ancestor that was a farmer who worked with their hands or a gardener who dug the land to cultivate it.

The name Grütters is also believed to have been used to distinguish people with the profession of plowing and cultivating the land in the Medieval times. Often families would inherit the same name as their profession, so it was likely that over time, Grütters became associated with the profession of digging.

The surname Grütters is still seen today in numerous countries around the world, including Germany, Austria, and even as far as the United States. Due to German emigration, the name can appear in any place where people with German heritage have settled.

Overall, the last name Grütters has a relatively basic connection to a historically agricultural profession of digging and cultivating the land; a symbol of people who worked with their hands to make their livelihood, regardless of where their descendants have spread around the world.

Grütters: Where does the name Grütters come from?

The last name Grütters is most commonly found nowadays in Germany, particularly in the former East Germany (where it is most concentrated). It is also present in small numbers in Switzerland, the Netherlands, the US, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as other countries.

In Germany, the Grütters surname typically originates from the northern regions of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, mainly in East Westphalia and the Rhineland. It can also be found in the east, particularly in the Thuringia region, around the cities of Erfurt and Weimar.

According to the surname database forebears.com, Grütters in Germany can be traced back to the 1500s in the Dutch and German forms of Groniger and Grüner, although it was not until the 1700s that it actually became "Grütters".

The surname derived from the medieval profession of a Grünerer, a gardener or orchard keeper, which suggests that there is likely a connection between the earlier Groniger/Grüner and Grütters surnames.

In terms of its origin, some suggest that the Grütters surname might possibly have been derived from the French surname Grote, which arrived in Germany in the late 1700s.

Regardless of the origin, today the Grütters surname is most commonly linked to Germany, in particular the former East German regions.

Variations of the surname Grütters

The surname Grütters is of German origin and is typically spelled as Grütters, Grutters, Grueters, Gruters, and Gruetters. While often spelled differently, all of these surnames originate from the same German root. A spelling variation of the surname originated from Dutch is Gruiter.

Grütters is listed in numerous German sources as being related to the same origin and is a very old German surname. Derived from the Proto-Germanic "Grōd", which means either "Dreamer" or "Shipowner", it is also associated with the "Grōt," meaning "Grave," "Tomb," or "Ditch." This was the ancestor of the modern German noun "Grätter," which means "foothill," or "land on a slope of a mountain."

The same root can also be seen in other surnames including Grödter, Grödtz, and Grote. These surnames were derived from the same root as Grütters, but likely represent transformations or dialectic differences over time.

Variations of the Grütters surname are used throughout Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, as well as numerous other countries in Europe with German contacts. In the United States, "Gruetter" can sometimes be found in records from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

The Grütters surname is an old German surname that has many spellings and surnames of the same origin. It has been used throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the United States for centuries and is still used today.

Famous people with the name Grütters

• Monika Grütters: Monika Grütters is a German politician, a member of the Christian Democratic Union and has been a Member of the Bundestag since 2005. She was appointed Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media by the German government in 2018.
• Stephan Grütters: Stephan Grütters is a German politician from the Christian Democratic Union, and since 2013 he is the Secretary of State in the German Federal Ministry of the Interior.
• Joachim von Grütters: Joachim von Grütters is a German physicist and Professor at the Heinrich Heine University at Duesseldorf, Germany. He is a specialist in the field of Quantum Mechanics.
• Christopher Grütters: Christopher Grütters is a German film producer who has produced a variety of award-winning films, including Carnage (2008), Simon Killer (2012) and the successful Bruder-schwesterherzen series.
• Markus Grütters: Markus Grütters is a German business leader, who is currently the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Metro Group.
• Christel Grütters: Grütters was a German music educator and director of the classical music school Joseph Haydn in Berlin, Germany from 1991 to 2015.
• Iris Grütters: Iris Grütters is a German violinist who is distinguished for her interpretation of classic works as well as for her involvement in charitable causes.
• Jan Grütters: Jan Grütters is a German journalist, television presenter, and producer for ARD television, and the Chairman of the Board of the Hans-Erni-Stiftung.
• Nikolaus von Grütters: Nikolaus von Grütters is a German industrialist, who is the CEO of Grimme Group, a major German agricultural machinery manufacturer.
• Jutta Grütters: Jutta Grütters is a German writer and poet, and the current President of the Deutsche Bibliotheca, Germany's national library.

Other surnames

Grütter