Surname Meinel - Meaning and Origin
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The Meinel Legacy Unveiled: A deep dive into my German ancestry with iGENEA's DNA analysis
Embarking on a journey of deep ancestral discovery with iGENEA's DNA testing, I came face-to-face with the history and origins of my steamy name - Meinel. With revelations of deep German roots, ancient populations, and connections with newfound relatives, this comprehensive analysis truly broadened my understanding of my lineage.
V. Meinel
read moreMeinel: What does the surname Meinel mean?
Meinel is a family surname of German origin. It is derived from the personal name ‘Meinhard’, which is a combination of the words ‘meini’ meaning ‘power’ or ‘strength’ and ‘hard’ meaning ‘hardy’, ‘bold’ or ‘brave’. Historically, the name may have been adopted to signify a person of strong character or distinguished and noble ancestry.
The Meinel surname first began to appear in records of German-speaking regions in the Middle Ages. Records of Meinels have been found in the Thuringia and Schwarzbach area of Germany, mainly from the 16th Century onwards. The name spread to other European regions as well; some Meinels moved to Sweden and Denmark during the 1800s. In more recent times, some families with the Meinel surname have migrated to North America, particularly to the United States.
Today, the Meinel surname is less common but still has a presence around the world. It is known to represent intelligence, creativity, ambition and strength. Regardless of its origin, the Meinel name has made a lasting impression on generations of people. It stands as a reminder of the importance of courage and resilience in tough times.
Order DNA origin analysisMeinel: Where does the name Meinel come from?
The last name Meinel is most common in Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. In Germany, it is most strongly concentrated in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, and Saxony-Anhalt.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 estimates of the frequency of surnames, Meinel appears to be a fairly rare last name in the United States, ranking under 900 in frequency among the 308,745 commonly occurring surnames in American families. This ranking is even lower in Canada, where only about 0.07% of the population has the last name Meinel.
In other parts of Europe, Meinel appears to be somewhat more common. In the United Kingdom, for example, it ranks under 500 in frequency among the approximately 75,000 common surnames. It is also more common in Northern Europe, throughout the Scandinavian countries, the Czech Republic, and other countries in Eastern Europe.
Overall, Meinel is a last name that is most common in central and Northern Europe, with fairly low interest in the United States and Canada.
Variations of the surname Meinel
Meinel is a surname of German origin, and is also found amongst Austrian, Dutch, Czech, and Polish individuals. Variants of the Meinel surname include Mainel, Minel, Meynell, McAnally, Meenan, and Mehan.
Meinel is an occupational name derived from the German word münchener, meaning 'of Munich.' It would have been applied to someone from the region around Munich, Germany, or could have been used to describe someone who worked in a mill.
Another variant, Meynell, is derived from the Ancient British place name ‘Maignel’ which possibly refers to a stream of unknown origin. It appeared in various forms, including 'Meygnel' in the Oxfordshire Pipe Rolls of 1166.
Other given surname spellings that have arisen from Meinel include Maynell, Mainall, Meinall, Maynel, Menell, Meinnell, Meinnele, Meinil, Mehan, and McAnally.
The significance of this surname can also be found even more widely, with the occurrence of Meinels living in other countries. Many German Meinels settled in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America, during the twentieth century. The surnames were to some extent anglicized to Mainwaring, Mainer, Mener, and Minner.
In Poland, the name is spelled Majnel. Some Czech immigrants used it as Májnil or Májnu. In Denmark and Sweden, the spelling is Menell.
No matter the spelling, all these surnames refer to their German origin and share a common heritage.
Famous people with the name Meinel
- Adolf Meinel: infamous German engineer and aerospace scientist who contributed significantly to the development of Germany’s aviation sector during World War II.
- Angelo Meinel: German ironsmith, architect, and politician active in the 19th century, particularly in the Kingdom of Bavaria.
- August Meinel: famous German luthier and master builder of stringed and fretted instruments, known for crafting some of the finest violins in the 19th century.
- Dreux Meinel: French photographer known for his popular, large-scale landscape and architectural photographs, taken primarily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Erich Meinel: German wrestler and Olympic athlete, popularly known for winning gold at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
- Hans-Georg Meinel: German astronaut and scientist, first to fly into space on a West German mission in 1985.
- Herbert Meinel: German officer and politician, famous for serving as Germany’s ambassador to France in the late 1950s.
- Jens Meinel: German-American physicist and engineer, and one of the first astronauts to fly on a European Space Agency (ESA) mission.
- Josephine Meinel: German-born soprano and actress who achieved international fame for her roles in European opera houses in the 1850s.
- Ottomar Meinel: German astrophysicist and astronomer whose optical telescope and astronomical discoveries changed the way science understood the universe in the 19th century.