Surname Meinßen - Meaning and Origin
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Meinßen: What does the surname Meinßen mean?
Meinßen is a German surname and can be found in Germany and other countries of German influence, mostly in Europe. The name has likely derived from tribes such as the Saxons and Thuringians who inhabited parts of northern Germany in ancient times. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th Century when a certain "Hermann von Meinßen" appears in a document in Lübeck.
Meinßen is composed of two parts—the two words "mein" and "ßen". The word "mein" typically translates into the English word “mine” and refers to something that is owned or associated with an individual. Meanwhile, the word “ßen” is a suffix that is often used to form German surnames. It is also used to express size and describes a group of people or things having the same qualities or characteristics.
Most people with the surname Meinßen trace their lineage back to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a region in northeastern Germany, although its use has since spread to other parts of the country. Today, descendants of the original German families with this name have settled in various parts of Europe and North America, and the name is also commonly found within diaspora communities.
The history of the Meinßen name can tell us a lot about German history and the people who lived in the region centuries ago. Its association with small tribes that left their mark on Germany and Europe continue to live on through the descendants of those people to this day.
Order DNA origin analysisMeinßen: Where does the name Meinßen come from?
The last name Meinßen is a German originated surname that is still fairly common today within Germany and German speaking areas. It is a relatively old surname, with records dating back to at least the 13th century.
Meinßen is a habitational name, derived from place names in Germany. During the 12th century, a knight from the Saxon town of Meinzen gave his name to his fiefdom, leading to the emergence of the name. The town of Meinzen is today now a district in the German state of Lower Saxony.
Today, the surname is most common in Germany, particularly in the western and southern regions of the country. In German cities such as Hamburg, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich, as well as other German settlements throughout the world, the name is still relatively common.
The surname is also common in other German speaking countries such as Switzerland and Austria. It is also found in other countries, particularly those nations with large German populations such as the United States, Canada, Brazil and Argentina.
Meinßen is also a common name in the Netherlands, due to the Dutch-German connection, as well as the large number of Dutch citizens of German descent.
The name is also found in other countries such as France, Lithuania and Poland, due to the German settlements in those countries as well as the subsequent population migrations that have taken place over the centuries.
Variations of the surname Meinßen
The Meinßen surname is a German variant of the name Mainz, which is a city located in the German Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is believed to have been derived from the Latin words Mattiacum, meaning “home of the Mattiaci”, a Germanic tribe. It is a highly localized name, with most of its bearers living in the vicinity of the city of Mainz.
Variants of the name Meinßen are spelled as follows: Meinzen, Meinzes or Meinz, as well as Mainz, Mainces, Menz, Maince, Maentz, Mainzor, Mainser and Mesen.
Surnames of the same origin include some of the following: Mentzel, Mentzler, Mentzinger, Mensing, Menzel, Means, Maintz, Meintzer, Mentz, Mannz, and Maimer.
The most notable bearer of the Meinßen surname is Johannes Meinßen (1882–1969), a German teacher, pastor and politician who served as a member of the German Social Democratic Party. He was active in many educational causes during his lifetime and a driving force behind the Prussian reforms of the school system. Some other well-known individuals bearing this surname are Erich Meinßen (1869–1945), a German physician and medical scientist, and Clemens Meinßen (born 1981), a former German-American footballer who played at the right back position.
Overall, the Meinßen surname is prominent in Germany and its surrounding areas, and has a rich family history. Its various spellings and surnames of the same origin have allowed the name to spread into multiple countries throughout Europe and even beyond, with bearers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.
Famous people with the name Meinßen
- Felix Meinßen, German footballer
- Anthony Meinßen, German historian and legal scholar
- Hermann Meinßen, German theologian
- Berthold Meinßen, German physicist and chemist
- Karl Friederich Meinßen, German politician and soldier
- Wilhelm Meinßen, German architect
- Friedrich Wilhelm Meinßen, German legal scholar
- Anna Maria Meinßen, German multimedia artist
- Jens-Christian Meinßen, German businessman and entrepreneur
- Marie-Luise Meinßen, German poet
- Katja Meinßen, German biathlete
- Julie Meinßen, German photographer
- Frauke Meinßen, German operatic soprano
- Eva Meinßen, German journalist
- Marc Meinßen, German soccer player