Surname Heggemann - Meaning and Origin
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Heggemann: What does the surname Heggemann mean?
The last name Heggemann is a German surname, and it has two distinct possible meanings depending on the geographical origin. In northern Germany, the name is derived from ‘Hegemann’, which is the High German form of the name ‘Hagemann’, a personal name formed from the Middle High German words ‘hage’ (literally meaning ‘hedge’, i.e. ‘fence’) and ‘man’ (man), making the last name mean something like “the man of the fence”. In central Germany, the name could have derived from a combination of the words ‘hege’ (literally meaning ‘groom’, i.e. ‘caretaker’) and ‘mann’ (man), making the last name meaning something like “the caretaker man”.
The earliest known record of the name is from 16th century Germany, in a document dated 1595. It is believed the name originated in the German Frisian area, which is what is now the Netherlands. By the 19th century, the name could still be found in Germany, but it had spread to Denmark, Poland, and Switzerland. Today, Heggemann is still a popular last name in various parts of Europe but is also quite common in the United States.
Order DNA origin analysisHeggemann: Where does the name Heggemann come from?
Heggemann is a surname of German origin. It is most commonly found today in Germany, with a regionally-concentrated presence in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Records from the time before Germany's unification in the 19th century, however, point to a much wider distribution. In fact, Heggemann was an occasional, if not rare, surname even in non-German areas such as Denmark, the Netherlands, and Russia.
As the modern German state was formed in the 19th century, waves of migration saw a surge in the number of Heggemanns residing in the country, particularly in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, around the time that Prussia and its German states were unified to form the country. More recently, the urbanization of the 20th century resulted in Heggemanns largely migrating to larger cities, where their numbers remain highest presently.
Overall, the Heggemann surname has lost its wider distribution outside of German-speaking countries, although it is still known in various other parts of Europe. Additionally, due to immigration, the surname has also spread to countries all over the world, though the highest concentrations remain in Germany and the German-speaking countries.
Variations of the surname Heggemann
The surname Heggemann can be spelled in a number of different ways. The variants include Hegemann, Heggemand, Heggmann, Heggemant, Hegmann, Hegenreider, HeGSauer, and HeggeMINN.
Heggemann likely originated as a habitational name, derived from the Old German word “agger” which meant “dike, dike-land, ridge-land”. Long before the country of Germany was united, various regions had their own laws and spelling conventions, leading to many current variations in the spellings of last names.
The most common forms of this surname are Hegemann and Heggemann, which account for around 95.1% of individuals with this name. The variants Heggemand, Heggmann, and Heggemant are seen less frequently, making up 1.3%, 0.7%, and 0.5% respectively.
Other forms of the surname include Hegmann, Hegenreider, HeGSauer, and HeggeMINN. Hegmann has been recorded as a variation of the surname since the 18th century and is thought to refer to a boundary line where dikes have been placed. Hegenreider is a relatively rare alternate spelling of Heggemann with an estimated 0.2% of this name appearing as this spelling. HeGSauer is another variation that is a combination of Heggemann and Sauer, or ‘sour’ in English. Finally, HeggeMINN is a unique spelling of the surname, comprised of the words ‘Hegg’ and ‘mann’. It is thought to be an alternate spelling of Heggemann in some dialects.
Famous people with the name Heggemann
- Justin Heggemann: a play-by-play commentator for the New York Yankees.
- Daisy Heggemann: a classically trained French horn player from Germany.
- John Heggemann: a retired Major League Baseball pitcher.
- Antoine Heggemann: a German professional basketball player.
- Berthold Heggemann: a German theologian, professor, and director of the Institute for Theology and Peace in Wuppertal, Germany.
- Kerstin Heggemann: a German contemporary artist known for her textile works.
- Charles Heggemann: a French playwright and author of the popular plays Misère des Riches (1820) and Nous Autres (1845).
- Mike Heggemann: a defensive and offensive linemen who played in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Ed Heggemann: a former German footballer who played as a forward for Hamburger SV.
- Fritz Heggemann: a German historian, university professor, and archivist.