Surname Meiwald - Meaning and Origin

Meiwald: What does the surname Meiwald mean?

The last name Meiwald is of German origin. It is derived from the words Meier, meaning “farmer”, and wald, meaning “forest”. Together, Meiwald translates literally to “forest farmer” and indicates an individual or family who worked with the land, most likely as farmers or foresters.

The etymology of the name reveals much about its history. During the medieval period in Germany, a majority of the population worked in farming. This agricultural focus likely spawned the origin of Meiwald, as families would have been found living within and working the forests surrounding their farms.

The name Meiwald is quite rare today, but that was not always the case. During the 1700s and 1800s, the Meiwald family was found in many parts of Germany, mainly in the states of Bavaria, Saxony, and Baden. From there, some of the members emigrated to North America, primarily the United States and Canada.

The Meiwald family is a reminder of the strong agricultural background that has long been present in Germany, and of the families that continue to farm today, all around the world. It is a name tied to the ideas of hard work, resilience, and dedication, and the people who have borne the name should be proud of their inheritance.

Meiwald: Where does the name Meiwald come from?

The last name Meiwald is most commonly found today in Europe, particularly in Germany. It is particularly popular in certain areas of the country like the state of Baden-Wüttemberg and the nearby areas of Bavaria, Saxony, and Hesse. The last name is also commonly found in Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Scandinavia.

Meiwald is of Germanic origin, and is derived from the personal name "Meik". It was used as an occupational surname for a person who worked as a "markwald", which is a term for an official in charge of patrolling the borders of German towns and cities.

The name Meiwald can also be mostly found in the eastern regions of the United States and Canada, particularly New York, Texas, Illinois and California. The name was then more frequently adopted by German-speaking immigrants who arrived in these regions in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, as well as the descendants of those immigrants.

This diversity of distribution is likely due to the relatively large number of people with the surname, as it is quite common and relatively easy to adopt as a permanent identifier. You can usually trace someone's origins back to Germanic roots if they have the Meiwald surname.

Variations of the surname Meiwald

The surname Meiwald can have various spellings and formulations as a result of changes in orthography over time.

In its simplest form, the surname is spelt “Meiwald”, but it can also be found as “Meiwalt”, “Meiwold”, and “Meiwalte”, as well as Meiwalder”, “Meiewalt”, and “Meiewald”. All of these spellings come from the same origin.

In addition, many cultures outside of the German-speaking world often make small changes to the spelling of names in order to make them more understandable in their own languages.

In some English-speaking countries, Meiwald is often written as “Mywald”, and in Polish it is usually written as “Małwałd”. In Dutch, the surname is often written as “Meijwald”.

In some cases, the name can also be combined with its patronymic condition to form a double surname. In this case, Meiwald’s patronymic version can be written as “Meiwalde”.

Meiwald is also a common alternative surname or a variant of the Uerwolde surname, which originated from the same Germanic tribal origin, and can be written as “Üerwold” and “Uerwald”.

Finally, there are many surnames derived from the same tribe that have the same origin and spelling as Meiwald. These include Meierwald, Meiwalter, Meiweller, and Meiwelner.

Famous people with the name Meiwald

• Beatriz Meiwald: Brazilian actress
• Gaspard Meiwald: Belgian cognac entrepreneur
• Friedrich Meiwald: German doctor and physicist
• Henry Meiwald: American artist
• Alex Meiwald: German professional footballer
• Erwin Meiwald: Austrian artist
• Tyley Meiwald: Canadian music producer
• Mandy Meiwald: British painter
• Rudi Meiwald: German sculptor
• Armin Meiwald: Austrian classical composer

Other surnames

Meiwaldt