Surname Menninger - Meaning and Origin
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Menninger: What does the surname Menninger mean?
The Menninger family name is derived from the German word "Meninger," which means a person from Meningen, a small village located in the region of Baden-Württemberg.
This surname was most likely given to families who lived in this specific region in earlier generations, specifically those who came from the town. As well, due to Germany's legislative system, many of those from Meningen might have been responsible for regulating laws and taxes, so the name could have come to represent power and authority.
The Menninger name could have also been adopted by Christians in Germany who worked in the church as priests, or those who raised families and ran businesses in the small but prosperous village.
Overall, the meaning of the Menninger surname has a lot to do with the family's location and the lifestyle they led in the past. It could signify a sense of power, or a connection to religious or business matters. The name could also reflect a particular way of life that has stayed with the family for generations.
Order DNA origin analysisMenninger: Where does the name Menninger come from?
The last name Menninger is primarily most common today in the midwestern United States, particularly in Kansas and Missouri. The Menninger Clinic, which was founded in 1919 in Topeka, Kansas, by Dr. Charles Menninger and his two sons Karl and Will, is seen to have sparked an increased prevalence of the name Menninger in these areas. It is unclear whether this is due to an influx of the Menninger family members relocating to Kansas and Missouri, or simply from the name gaining notoriety due to its renowned medical center.
Today, nearly all states contain some amount of residents bearing the last name Menninger. The states containing the largest concentrations of individuals with this surname include Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. While it is impossible to pinpoint the exact amount of Menningers in each state, reports suggest that there are about 1,500 Menningers in Kansas alone.
Much of the Menninger name's prevalence remains localized. However, there are some families bearing the name that have relocated to other parts of the United States over the years. It is likely that this name will continue to become more widely dispersed in the future.
Variations of the surname Menninger
The surname Menninger is a common, German patronymic last name from the Middle Ages. It is derived from the personal name Menno, which comes from the ancient Germanic word "menno" meaning "man". This surname is found, in various spellings, throughout Europe and in countries with large German emigrations, like the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia.
The direct variants of the surname Menninger are Mininger and Minniger. Variations in spelling also exist, such as Meninger, Menniger, Menenger, Meninger, Mennigar, Minnigar, Menniker and Menniger. All of the variations are considered to be of the same origin.
Some other surnames that have evolved from the Menninger surname include Menninghaus, Menningerhof, Menningerhoff, Menningerfeld, Menningerthal, Menningerschink and Menningerwald.
The surname Menninger also has several common nicknames and diminutives, including Messer, Ninger, Minga, Minnie and Minney.
In the United States, the 2000 Census indicated that the Menninger surname was the 10,201st most popular name in the nation with a total population of 1,496 individuals. Menninger is a very popular surname in Germany, where it was ranked as the 431st most popular name in 2011 with an estimated 8,272 people with the surname Menninger. Likewise, it is also fairly common in Austria, where it was ranked as the 468th most common surname in 2015 with an estimated 890 people having the Menninger surname.
Famous people with the name Menninger
- Karl Menninger: Karl Menninger was a prominent American psychiatrist, the co-founder of the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas and a leader in the development of modern psychiatry. He wrote a number of books on mental health and was an Social Freudian.
- William C. Menninger: William C. Menninger was an American psychiatrist and a part of the famous Menninger family. He was the son of Karl Menninger and became Medical Director of the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, KS, in 1925. Along with his brother, Karl Jr, William wrote the widely read book The Vital Balance: The Life Process in Mental Health and Illness.
- Karl Menninger Jr.: Karl Menninger Jr. was the son of Karl Menninger and a leader in the field of mental health treatment in the mid-twentieth century. He worked alongside his father at the Menninger Clinic and was the coauthor of the book The Vital Balance: The Life Process in Mental Health and Illness along with his brother William.
- Walter Menninger: Walter Menninger was the youngest of the Menninger siblings and a leading psychoanalyst in the second half of the twentieth century. He wrote several books on the topics of psychoanalytic theory and health care reform.
- Roy Menninger: Roy Menninger was the son of Karl Menninger and a distinguished psychiatrist in his own right. He was the first Medical Director of the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, KS, from 1957 to 1989, and wrote several books on mental health disorders and psychiatric treatments.