Surname Kleine-Döpke - Meaning and Origin
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Kleine-Döpke: What does the surname Kleine-Döpke mean?
Kleine-Döpke is a German surname, most commonly found in the Northeastern region of Germany. The name is made up of two words: ‘Kleine’ meaning small, and ‘Döpke’ meaning a place with a hill. The combination of the two words is thought to have originated as a description of a place of origin or residence, with the name referring to someone who lived on or near a small hill.
Throughout history, German surnames were largely derived from place names, personal names, occupations, or physical features relating to the landscape. It is thought that Kleine-Döpke could have similarly been derived from the landscape; with the small hill most likely referring to a hillock or small rise in an otherwise flat landscape.
The surname itself is quite common, and can be found in records that date as far back as the 15th century. It is believed to have been in usage since, with many families living in Germany still using it today.
Kleine-Döpke is one of many German surnames, all of which are evidence of the people and places that have made up the history of this great nation. Its connotations refer to the country’s rich history, with small hills that provided somebody’s home or place of work, and with its modern usage of a surname now proudly representing a family’s lineage and origin.
Order DNA origin analysisKleine-Döpke: Where does the name Kleine-Döpke come from?
The surname Kleine-Döpke is most commonly found in Germany, specifically in the northern and eastern states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, as well as in Brandenburg and Berlin. The surname is relatively rare, but there is a concentration of around 800 people with the name living primarily in these areas of the country.
The German language origin of the surname Kleine-Döpke suggests that the name is derived from an Old German personal name, 'Kleine' and the combination of two place names, 'Döpke' and 'Kleinen'. It is likely that the surname is derived from the modern-day villages located in Saxony, near the Polish border: Klein Kölzig and Groß Kölzig. The two villages are terribly close together, and their names are often merged together to form one, larger village: 'Kölzig'.
The surname Kleine-Döpke appears in church records and other historical documents spanning a timeframe of the 13th Century. Over the years, families with the Kleine-Döpke surname have spread from Germany to other countries, such as the US, England, and Australia.
Overall, the surname Kleine-Döpke is most commonly found in Germany's northern and eastern states. While it is relatively rare, there exists a community of around 800 people with the surname who can trace their roots to the villages of Klein Kölzig and Groß Kölzig.
Variations of the surname Kleine-Döpke
The surname Kleine-Döpke is a German surname originated from a small village in Northern Germany. Its variants and spellings include Klein-Döpke, Kleindöpke, Kleinedöpke, Döpke, Kleineduepke, Kleinedoepke, Kldöpke, Klindöpke, Klindoepke, Klan-Depke, Klane Depke, Kleindepke, Klean Depke, Kleandepke, Kleanduepke, and Kleanduepke.
Kleine-Döpke is commonly combined with another surname in Northern Germany and also in other parts of the world. Other surnames derived from this family name are Enderle-Kleine-Doepke, Kleine-Döpke-Thürmer, and Kleine-Döpke-Thöming.
Aside from these variants, spelling and surnames of the same origin, Kleine-Döpke also has several nicknames used in the same area such as Der Kleine Döpke, K-Döpke, Kleiner Döpke, and Döpp, which are variants of the surname.
Kleine-Döpke is a very unique surname and can be identified easily, both in Northern Germany and abroad. Despite its rarity, its variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin are widely recognized by people in the area.
Famous people with the name Kleine-Döpke
- Wieland Kleine-Döpke: sports historian and professor at the University of Cologne from 1971 to 2012. He was the author of several books on the history of sport, including Die “Nationalsozialistische Freizeitgestaltung und Der politische Turn- und Sportbund der Weimarer Republik (The National Socialist Recreation and the Political Turn and Sport League of the Weimar Republic).
- Meinrad Kleine-Döpke: German entrepreneur and scientist. He has been an owner and manager of several firms in industrial engineering and medical technology and holds multiple patents in the medical field.
- Ursula Kleine-Döpke: German professor of business administration. She is the director of the Institute for Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Cologne and an honorary professor at the University of Munich.
- Wilhelm Kleine-Döpke: German mathematician, best known for his work in algebraic geometry and his research in invariant theory. He worked as a professor at the universities of Heidelberg and Kiel.
- Christoph Kleine-Döpke: German music teacher, conductor and composer. He is the founder of “Stamm der Musiker”, a music school for children and young people in the greater Cologne area.
- Gudrun Kleine-Döpke: German painter and visual artist. She is a professor at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, and has exhibited her work worldwide.
- Johanna Kleine-Döpke: German poet, translator and researcher. She has published several books of her work, including Mit der Farbe der Sprache (With the Color of Language).