Surname Meißner - Meaning and Origin

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S. Meißner

Meißner: What does the surname Meißner mean?

Meißner is a German surname that is derived from the given name Meisner, which in turn is derived from the Germanic name Marisinus. It originates from the ancient kingdom of Bavaria. As a surname, Meißner is thought to have initially been used in its home region and then spread to other parts of Germany.

Meißner is a occupational surname, meaning that it was originally used to identify people who worked in a specific profession. Specifically, it was used to refer to workmen who lived in the city of Meißen. The occupation was related to the production of fine ceramic and porcelain, a major industry in the area, and used to be known as Meißnerware.

The name Meißner likely came into existence by the end of the 15th century, when individuals from the Bavarian city of Meißen began to move to other cities and states. When they settled in their new homes, the residents of Meißen in these other states were referred to as Meißners. This practice of using a location-based identifier, or a ‘toponymic’, as a surname is very common in German-speaking countries.

Meißner is still used as a surname today and is associated with the traditional production of porcelain ware. The name stands proud amongst a long list of German surnames that denote the occupation and history of its bearers.

Meißner: Where does the name Meißner come from?

The last name Meißner is of German origin and is most commonly found in Germany and Austria today. It is one of the most common surnames in both countries, though usage varies depending on the particular region.

In Germany, it is most prevalent in the east of the country, particularly in the states of Saxony, Berlin, and Brandenburg. In the former East Germany, it is even the most common surname in some towns and cities. In the west, it is more evenly spread out; it ranks among the top twenty most common surnames in some of the German Länder.

In Austria, Meißner is most commonly associated with the state of Salzburg and its surrounding region. It also ranks among the top fifty most commonly used surnames in the country.

In the United States, the surname Meißner is most commonly seen among German-Americans from the Midwest or Pennsylvania Dutch Country. In the 2010 census, 1,952 people with the surname were counted, corresponding to an average of around 135 individuals per state. In Addition, it is common in other countries with German-speaking populations such as Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

Variations of the surname Meißner

Meißner is a German surname of both patronymic and locational origin, and the variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin include Maisner, Maisner, Meisner, Meisener, Maisner, Maisner, Maesner, Maassner, Messiah, Maesen, and Masaner.

The surname Meißner has its origin in the German state of Lower Saxony, where the old Middle High German terms meizener or mezener was in use since the Middle Ages. It literally translates to "city dweller", since the surname developed from people who originated from a given city, especially those of a smaller size. The spelling of the surname might have also been influenced by other versions of the name such as "Mannaser" or "Manneser".

The variation of Meißner with Maisner holds its origin in an ancient German word "Maesener" meaning "one from Maesen", which is a very small town now part of the city of Dessau-Roßlau, situated in the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt. The Maisner variation even eventually became widely used in Poland where the name is spelled Mesner.

The alternative spelling Meisner came into use especially in Switzerland after Luther's reform movement. During the time, a priest in a given Swiss village begin to sign his baptismal records as "the Meitzner" instead of his original name, "the Maitzner". This is how, over the course of time, the spelling became Meitzer and eventually Meisner.

The variant Meisener is a patronymic form of the surname Meißner which implies that the original bearer of the name was the son of a person with the surname Meißner. It is especially common in the county of Kusel, region known before as Rheinpfaltz. Other patronymic derivatives of the Meißner surname include Maesener, Maassner, Messiah, Maesen, and Masaner.

These variants of the Meißner surname are all connected to same origin and have their origin in the old German word "Meizener" meaning "city dweller". All of these surnames allow us to better understand the history of the Meißner surname and its connection to the small towns and villages of Lower Saxony and the region of Rheinpfaltz.

Famous people with the name Meißner

• Fritz Meissner (1882-1969): Made groundbreaking contributions to the field of subatomic physics.
• Friedrich Meissner (1858-1936): An Austrian-German painter best known for his portraits and genre paintings of the middle and upper classes.
• Karl Meissner (1896-1948): A German artist mainly known for his expressionist landscapes.
• Frank Meissner (1951-2021): A German graphic designer, especially for the advertising industry.
• Volkmar Meissner (1936-2019): A German sculptor and graphic designer who specialized in concrete art.
• Dietmar Meissner (1944-2021): German tablature composer for classical guitar and a prolific arranger of classical pieces for solo guitar, duets, quartets and guitar orchestra.
• Friedrich Meissner (1905-1995): A technician and co-inventor of an ultracentrifuge device for high-speed separation of small particles.
• Johann Meissner (1909-2002): Chair of Applied Physics at the Technical University of Munich and co-inventor of office copying technologies.
• Kirill Meissner (1931-2011): A Soviet mathematician who developed the theory of solitons and made important contributions to algebraic geometry.
• Henry Meissner (1917-1983): A German businessman best known for being the executive director of the giant Volkswagen Group of Companies.

Other surnames

Meißnest