Surname Kreuzwieser - Meaning and Origin
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Kreuzwieser: What does the surname Kreuzwieser mean?
The last name Kreuzwieser is a German surname derived from the Middle High German words “kreuzzê”, meaning “cross”, and “wîser”, meaning “meadow.” Together, these two words come to suggest a meaning of “meadow of crosses,” containing the image of a wide appraoch lined with crosses.
The name Kreuzwieser is believed to have originally been given to someone who lived near such a meadow. Since crosses are associated with Christianity, it’s possible that the name was originally given to those living near a meadow that held crosses erected for religious reasons.
The surname Kreuzwieser is still common today, especially in Germany and parts of Central Europe. It is also found across the United States where German immigrants settled in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The name Kreuzwieser is usually a sign of German ancestry, but not always. There are instances of people with names like Kreutzwiedder, Kreutzbinder or Kreutzberger who have no German ancestry at all but have inherited the name as a result of marriage or migration.
Regardless of ancestry, the name Kreuzwieser will always carry the image of a meadow lined with crosses. This image is highly evocative of the historical and religious significance that was so important to those who first bore the name and have since passed it along.
Order DNA origin analysisKreuzwieser: Where does the name Kreuzwieser come from?
The last name Kreuzwieser is most commonly found in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and neighboring countries. In Germany alone, there are currently about 700 people with the last name Kreuzwieser. Thanks to Germany’s internal migration after World War II, some of these people may have moved elsewhere in Europe, which could account for some of the additional 600 people with this name seen in Austria and Switzerland.
When it comes to emigration, data indicates that people with the last name Kreuzwieser began leaving Germany and Austria in the 1700s to find better economic opportunities. Most had settled in the United States by the late 1800s. Today, Americans with the last name Kreuzwieser are concentrated in Texas, North Carolina, and New York. The Kreuzwiesers who settled in the US appear to have dispersed across the country, with smaller concentrations in California and Wisconsin. With the growing trend of family reunification, it's possible that more Kreuzwiesers have opted to immigrate to the US in recent decades.
Today, the largest population of people with the last name Kreuzwieser is still concentrated in their original homeland: Germany. Other large populations can be found in the United States, Switzerland, and Austria.
Variations of the surname Kreuzwieser
Kreuzwieser is a German surname derived from the word Kreuz meaning “cross”, and Wieser, meaning “meadow”. Its variants and spellings include Kreuzweiser, Kreuzweisser, Kreuzweiler, Kreuzweiler, Kreuzweiler, Kreuzweis, Kruezwieser, Kreuzwiese, Kreuzwieser, and Kreuzweisser. The English equivalents of the surname Kreuzwieser include Crossen, Crosswayer, Crossfield, Crosswhite, and Crosswise.
Kreuzwieser is also known by several other surnames of the same origin, such as Crossmann, Kreuzmann, Kreuzmuller, Kreuzmueller, and Kreuzlesser. These names correspond to the German expression “Kreuz + Man(n)” which means “cross man”. Other surnames derived from the same root include Kreuzer, Kreuzmann, Kreuzmueller, Kreuziger, Kreuzinger, Kreuze, Kreupel, and Kreuzigung.
Kreuzwieser is also the basis for a number of other surnames, such as Kreuzenstein, Kreutzinger, Kreuzberg, Kreuzberger, Kreuzkamp, Kreuzfahrer, and Kreuzwirt. The literal meaning of these surnames is “Cross + Stone”; “Cross + Person”; “Cross +Hill"; "Cross + Farmer"; and “Cross + Innkeeper”, respectively.
In addition, there are surnames created from diminutives of the root word, such as Kreuzle, Kreuzli, and Kreuzlein. Then there are surnames derived from toponyms where Kreuzwieser was once either the originator or a prominent figure, such as Kreuzwieserburg, Kreuzwiesen, and Kreuzwies.
In all, there are hundreds of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin as Kreuzwieser. Many are lost in time, however those that are known are evidence of the Kreuzwieser heritage that remains to this day.
Famous people with the name Kreuzwieser
- Christoph Kreuzwieser (German actor, producer, and director)
- Ralf Kreuzwieser (German actor)
- Andrea Kreuzwieser (Austrian rally driver, navigator, and television presenter)
- Bruno Kreuzwieser (German water polo player)
- Klaus Kreuzwieser (German swimmer)
- Walter Kreuzwieser (Austrian basketball player)
- Joseph Kreuzwieser (German sprint canoer)
- Rick-Phoenix Kreuzwieser (American musician)
- Adam Kreuzwieser (German-American modern dance choreographer)
- Johann Ortlieb Kreuzwieser (German alchemist)