Surname Haunschild - Meaning and Origin

Haunschild: What does the surname Haunschild mean?

The surname Haunschild is a German name which comes from the Old German word “Haun” meaning ‘hen’ and the word “schild” meaning ‘shield’. This surname can be translated to mean 'Shield of the Hen' or 'Hen Shield'. This suggests that the original bearer of this surname was either a descendent of a long line of hens or a protector of them, likely a farmer.

Though the exact origin of the Haunschild surname is unknown, it is believed to have originated from the area of Saxony, which is located in the eastern part of Germany near the Czech Republic. As many Germans left their homeland in the mid 19th century, this surname is found all over the world today in places such as the United States, Brazil, South Africa, and Australia.

Haunschild is a unique surname that often prompts the question “What does that mean?” It is one of many German surnames which have both English and German origins and help us learn more about our ancestors and those who lived before us.

Haunschild: Where does the name Haunschild come from?

The last name Haunschild is most commonly found today in northern Germany, particularly in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The surname is believed to have originated in the small town of Haunschild located in Thuringia, where records of the surname as a place name have been found from the 12th century. There is evidence of a lineage of Haunschilds in the same town, suggesting that the surname may have begun as a reference to the residence of the family.

The name is also found in the United States, particularly in parts of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Oregon. There is also evidence of documented Haunschilds from Europe having immigrated to the United States in the 1800s, with records showing they moved to areas in the mid-west such as Missouri, Ohio, and Iowa.

The fact that the surname Haunschild had a lasting presence in Northern Germany as well as in parts of the United States is a testament to the influence of German immigrants abroad and the resilience of the name in the face of the centuries. Although it may be tricky to trace one's lineage to the original Haunschild family in Thuringia, due to the pattern of European migratory movements in the 19th century, the large presence of the surname in the United States and Northern Germany today suggests that the name has been carried onwards from generation to generation.

Variations of the surname Haunschild

The surname Haunschild is an old German family name that can be found in records dating back to the 17th century. It is most common in the German-speaking countries, particularly in the Palatinate region. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Haunschild include Hauschild, Hanschild, Henschke, Hanschke, and Hohnschild.

Hauschild is the most common variant, derived from the Middle High German words hūs (‘house’) and child (‘young person’). It is believed that the surname indicated a family descended from an ancestor who lived in a particular house or held a house-related title or position. The other variants Hanschild, Henschke, Hanschke, and Hohnschild have the same etymology, simply with different spellings.

While the variants are all related, they are different surnames in their own right. Records have shown that many families with the surname Haunschild have over the centuries differentiated into individual branches with different surnames. As a result, it is quite common to find people with the same family name, but with a different spelling, in Germany and other German-speaking countries.

Famous people with the name Haunschild

• Tyler Haunschild: an American professional snowboarder and X Games gold medalist.
• Uwe Haunschild: a German football player who played for FC St. Pauli and SSV Jahn Regensburg.
• Jan Haunschild: a retired German footballer and coach who played for various teams including TSG Hoffenheim and FC St. Pauli.
• Chris Haunschild: an American TV producer and writer, best known for his work on WWE Tough Enough.
• Bernt Haunschild: a German former footballer who played for FC Schalke 04 and MSV Duisburg.
• Arthur Haunschild: an American actor, best known for his roles in the films An American Crime and Ocean's 13.
• Terri Haunschild: a German-born US modern dancer and choreographer.
• Karlheinz Haunschild: a German jazz pianist and composer.
• Antje Haunschild: a German writer and journalist who has written for magazines such as Stern and Die Zeit.
• Ullrich Haunschild: an Austrian alpine ski racer who competed in the Winter Olympics in 1984 and 1992.

Other surnames

Haunschildt