Surname Hirschl - Meaning and Origin
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Hirschl: What does the surname Hirschl mean?
The last name Hirschl is a Jewish surname from Yiddish and German origins. The name is derived from the word "hirsch", which means "deer" in German. As such, the name Hirschl can be seen to mean "one who has qualities of a deer", which could refer to qualities such as gentleness or gracefulness.
The surname has a long history. It first appears in records from the 11th century, when a Kaufhaus in what is now Austria is noted as being founded by a man named "Conrad Hirschel". In 1571, the Austrian statesman and nobleman Jakob von Hirschfeld became the first recorded bearer of the surname Hirschl. Since then, the name has spread across the globe with people of Jewish heritage, appearing in Germany, England, Uruguay and the United States, among other countries.
The name Hirschl is also associated with Jewish religious ashkenazi customs, and is often shortened to Hirschel, Hirschen, or Hersh to disguise their Jewish identity in times of antisemitism.
Today, the name Hirschl is mostly found among families of Ashkenazi Jewish origins, though there are many non-Jewish bearers of this surname as well. Those carrying this name often have an appreciation for nature, and are drawn to stories of deer in popular culture. They are often seen as brave, joyous, gentle, and graceful, and always willing to lend a helping hand.
Order DNA origin analysisHirschl: Where does the name Hirschl come from?
The last name Hirschl is common today in many of the Ashkenazi Jewish communities around the world. This surname has been identified within the Ashkenazi Jewish population for hundreds of years, with roots that can be traced to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Poland. The name is a patronymic, derived from the Hebrew language, with Hirsch meaning ‘deer’, and the suffix -l or -el, meaning ‘of.’
The most populated countries where the surname Hirschl is found include the United States, Israel, Canada, France, and Germany. According to AncestryDNA, the last name Hirschl is among the twenty-five most common surnames in the United States. Within the United States, the surname is more largely concentrated in states with larger Jewish populations such as New York, Florida, and Illinois.
Today’s largest communities of Hirschl families are found in Israel, the United States, Germany, and Canada. The Jewish genealogical website, Avotaynu, has an online database of surnames Hirschl worldwide which indicates that more than 18,000 different families make up the global population.
Whether a first or last name, Hirschl is still a cherished name for Ashkenazi Jews across the world. It honors the memory of generations of ancestors, and the pride of Jewish heritage and culture.
Variations of the surname Hirschl
The surname Hirschl is most commonly spelled Hirschl, while there are several other ways it can be spelled, including Herschl, Hirsch, Hirschel, Hirschell, Herschel, Herschell, and Hersch.
The surname Hirschl has roots in Jewish and German backgrounds. The surname Hirschl is the German word for “deer” or “stag,” and the root comes from the Old High German word “hirz”—meaning “deer” or “stag.”
The variant spellings of the surname originated in different cultures and languages, as the name migrated from Germany to other parts of Europe, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. The surname got anglicized in the U.S., resulting in different spellings and variants of the name.
The most common variants of Hirschl are Hirsch, Herschl, and Hirschl. Other variants include Hirschel, Hirschell, Herschel, Herschell, and Hersch.
Hirschl is sometimes a Jewish surname. Jewish communities adopted the surname after they immigrated to Germany in the Middle Ages, and it eventually spread to other countries. Likewise, ###########
The surname Hirschl is believed to have originated during medieval times when a man whose job was to capture deer—known as a hirschfanger—would have taken on the surname “Hirschl,” which referred to his profession. Over time, the surname was adopted by other people and families, leading to the various variants and spellings of the name we know today.
Famous people with the name Hirschl
- Erich Hirschl, Swiss neurologist and psychiatrist.
- Michael Hirschl, Austrian anthropologist.
- Israel Hirschl, American violinist and composer.
- Adam Hirschl, Czech artist and designer.
- Dick Hirschl, American football player.
- Maurice Hirschl, American photographer.
- Albert Hirschl, German Holocaust survivor and Jew
- Charles Hirschl, Austrian-born writer and director.
- Jakob Hirschl, Austrian mathematician.
- Reuven Hirschl, Israeli artificial intelligence researcher.
- Samuel Hirschl, Austrian-born entrepreneur and philanthropist.
- Simon Hirschl, German Baroque architect.
- Rudolph Hirschl, Hungarian-born American photographer.