Surname Joeckle - Meaning and Origin

Joeckle: What does the surname Joeckle mean?

The last name Joeckle is of German origin and is derived from the surname Joecklein, which is a contraction of "Johann Georg" or "Johannes Georg". The name means "John George" and was typically used to indicate a patronymic or a form of inheritance named after a father or ancestor.

Joeckle is a fairly common surname in Germany and the United States. According to records from the 1880s, it was the 110th most common surname in the United States at the time. In Germany, the name is most commonly found in the Rheinland-Pfalz region.

Joeckle is a name that has been used for many generations throughout Europe. It was first recorded in Germany in the late 13th century, when a Johann Jockle was a witness to a marriage contract. Since then, the name has been used to represent many generations of a family.

The name Joeckle is typically used to honor an ancestor, yet it can also symbolize the strength of a family and its lasting legacy. It is a reminder of the relationships formed throughout generations and the heritage that is maintained by every new generation of the Joeckle family.

Joeckle: Where does the name Joeckle come from?

Joeckle is a very uncommon surname today, and while records do exist of this surname being used, there is no area or region in the world today where it is considered common. It appears to be primarily an Americanized surname derived from the German original name "Jöckel." Historically, the surname is most commonly associated with families of German ancestry who immigrated to Pennsylvania, and specifically the Lehigh Valley area, in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Joeckle is still found in small numbers in these areas of Pennsylvania today, though it is a far cry from what it was during the height of its popularity. Nowadays, it tends to be used more frequently by residents of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, as well as some Pennsylvania German populations in places such as Berks, Philadelphia, and Lebanon Counties.

The surname has seen some limited usage in other areas of the United States, such as Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. However, these locations tend to only contain a handful of families using this surname, and it is not considered to be present in significant amounts outside of these states.

Outside the United States, the surname appears to be primarily limited to Germany, where members of the Jöckel family continue to inhabit towns such as Sulz, Brussels, and Ortenbourg. However, it appears that most of these individuals are more distant relatives who are descended from the same group of German ancestors who migrated to the United States centuries ago. As such, the surname is still very uncommon and rare in the modern world.

Variations of the surname Joeckle

The surname Joeckle represents a relatively rare German family name, of uncertain origin. It is sometimes spelled as Jeckle, Jeckel, Jeckl or Jäckel, and the variants Jöckle and Jöckel are also found across Central Europe. The surname comes from a Middle High German root word "joeckel" or similar, which may also have given rise to the surnames Jokle and Jockey.

In Germany, the earliest known record of the name comes from a medieval document dated 1327, where a man named Johannes Jackel (or Jeckle) was witnessed in court in Augsburg. The same family name then appears in other Germanic records in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the familia Jeckle of Saxony who were granted noble status by the Habsburgs in 1778.

In Austria, where the name is also found, the earliest record dates back to the 18th century, in the form of a baptisms record for Johannes Jeckell of Hollenstein an der Ybbs, state of Lower Austria. In the 19th century, the surname was found mostly in Carniola (now part of Slovenia) in variants Jöckl or Jöckle, but also in the records of Upper Austria, Burgenland, and Vienna.

These days, the variants Joeckle, Jeckle, Jeckel, and Jäckel are most prominent, but the other variants of the surname are still found sporadically in Central Europe, particularly in Austria, Slovenia and Germany.

Famous people with the name Joeckle

• Jeff Joeckle: Major League Baseball player who was an outfielder and first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Don Joeckle: Former NFL linebacker who played for the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles.
• Charlie Joeckle: Professional bodybuilder and powerlifter who helped Trey Brewer found the Powerteam Lifting sports team.
• Johnny Joeckle: Musician and songwriter who was a founding member of The Temptations in the early 1960s.
• Steve Joeckle: Football and basketball coach, most notably for the Creighton Bluejays basketball team.
• Angela Joeckle: Accomplished author who wrote two best-selling books about the supernatural.
• Jennifer Joeckle: Entrepreneur and philanthropist who co-founded the Packard Foundation and was an early investor in companies like Google and Microsoft.
• Joe Joeckle: Former NFL player who was a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns.
• John Joeckle: Coach and baseball executive who worked in the Atlanta Braves organization for over 20 years.
• D.L. Joeckle: Investment banker and venture capitalist who was a trader for Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

Other surnames

Joeckel