Surname Hintermair - Meaning and Origin
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Hintermair: What does the surname Hintermair mean?
The last name Hintermair is derived from the German words "hinter" and "Mair" and is of occupational origin. The term "hinter" translates to "behind" in English, while "Mair" is a type of farming steward, which was a common occupation during the Middle Ages. Thus, Hintermair can be translated to mean "steward behind the corner" or "behind the corner steward."
The use of this surname would indicate that someone in the family worked as a steward. It also suggests the possibility that the family once held a low ranking position in a farming estate or community. During the Middle Ages, stewards held a great deal of influence, providing mid-level management in large estates and farms. They oversaw farmers and field hands, kept track of revenue and assisted with labor management. On larger estates, stewards were often the link between the owners and their tenants, setting the tone for their relationship and helping to ensure that all duties were performed.
The use of the last name Hintermair also reveals the family's regional heritage, as this type of surname can be found mostly in Austria and parts of Southern Germany. The name is still in use today, suggesting that its bearer has maintained a connection to its history and traditions.
Order DNA origin analysisHintermair: Where does the name Hintermair come from?
Today, the last name Hintermair is mainly concentrated in Germany and Austria. According to public records, there were 7,926 people with the surname Hintermair living in Germany (as of 2015). The name is especially common in the state of Bavaria and in certain regions of southern Germany. A smaller number of people with the last name Hintermair live in Austria and Switzerland.
The first documented instance of the Hintermair surname appears in the late 16th century in a Germanic-language deed dated 1588. Since then, however, the name has spread all over Germany and, to a lesser extent, Austria and Switzerland. Records indicate that the majority of those bearing the name hail from Bavaria and the densely populated states of Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg.
The surname has gone through numerous spelling variations over the centuries. Some of the more common variants seen today include Hintermeier, Hintermaier, Hintermayer, and Hintermaire. Members of the Hintermair family are believed to have settled in southwest Germany, northern Bavaria, and western Austria during the 18th century.
To this day, the "+Mair" variant of the name remains the most common within the respective regions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Although the last name is typically spelled as Hintermair or Hintermaier, it is sometimes seen in American records as “Hintermayer” or “Hinter Meyer.”
Variations of the surname Hintermair
The surname Hintermair has various variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These include the English variations Hinderman and Hinterman, the Germanic spellings Hintermeier, Hintermaier, Hintermayer and Hintermaur, and the Dutch spellings Hintermair and Hintermeijer.
The variations of this surname are believed to be derived from the Germanic word “hinter” which means “behind” or “beyond”. It is thought to refer to someone who lived or worked on the backside (or beyond) a home or farm.
The surnames Hinderman, Hinterman and Hintermaur are mainly found in the Germanic countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Hintermaier is found in both Germanic and Dutch regions.
Hintermeier and Hintermayer can be found in areas of Central Europe, though spellings vary in other countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In Dutch-speaking areas such as the Netherlands and a few parts of Belgium, the surname is generally spelled as Hintermair or Hintermeijer.
The variants of the surname Hintermair are also found in other countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
Famous people with the name Hintermair
- Sabine Hintermair: Sabine Hintermair is a German designer who is best known for her visual communication, branding, and graphic design work.
- Alois Hintermair: Alois Hintermair is an Austrian author, historian, and professor of history at the Graz University of Technology in Austria.
- Erich Hintermair: Erich Hintermair is a German architect and one of the founders of the Turtur architecture studio in Munich.
- Joseph Hintermair: Joseph Hintermair was an Austrian politician who served as mayor of Carinthia from 1947 to 1956.
- Anna Maria Hintermair: Anna Maria Hintermair is an Austrian abstract expressionist painter and graphic artist.
- Franz Hintermair: Franz Hintermair was an Austrian organ builder and constructor of tracker action instruments.
- Karl Hintermair: Karl Hintermair was an Austrian football and ice hockey player.
- Johann Baptist Hintermayer: Johann Baptist Hintermayer was an Austrian naturalist and botanist.
- Johann Anton Hintermayer: Johann Anton Hintermayer was an Austrian organist, composer, and teacher.