Surname Mittereder - Meaning and Origin
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Mittereder: What does the surname Mittereder mean?
The surname Mittereder is a German topographic nickname surname from the Middle High German word "muter" meaning “meadow”. The name Mittereder most commonly refers to someone who lived near a meadow or grew crops in meadows.
In many parts of Europe, a meadow was an especially valuable piece of property due to its potential for growing crops and pasture land. For this reason, a surname taken from the German word for "meadow" might signal that the bearer of the surname was a prosperous landowner or an experienced farmer. Alternatively, the surname Mittereder could indicate a person's occupation as a mower of meadow grass, a worker of the land, or a herdsman.
During the medieval period, surnames began to emerge throughout Europe as populations increased and societies became more complex. Many people took on surnames derived from toponyms, nicknames, and descriptive surnames, like Mittereder, which offered a simple and easy way to distinguish individuals. Thus, the surname Mittereder is a signal of the family’s history and its occupation, as well as a marker of regional roots.
Order DNA origin analysisMittereder: Where does the name Mittereder come from?
The last name Mittereder is most common in Germany. It is common throughout the country, especially in Bavaria and Saxony. The name is most likely of German origin as it is composed of the two words "Mitter," meaning middle, and "Eder," meaning an old man.
The earliest known instance of the name in Germany dates back to the 16th century, when Martin Mittereder is recorded as a tithe collector in the small Bavarian village of Oberndorf. The name then gradually spread across the country as families moved from one region to another.
Today, descendants of the Mittereder family can be found in all corners of Germany. There are number of Mittereder families in Lower Saxony, Berlin, and Hamburg, illustrating how the name is still well represented in these regions. The city of Heidelberg also has a particularly high number of Mittereder families, with over 14,000 people currently living there.
In terms of internationality, Mittereder families can currently be found in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and many other countries across the globe. This highlights how, despite coming from a small Bavarian village, the Mittereder family has spread to people around the world over the centuries.
Variations of the surname Mittereder
The surname Mittereder is most commonly found in its original German form, and is most likely derived from the German words “mitt(er)” and “er”, meaning “belonging to the middle”. Variants of the surname Mittereder include Mittoteric, Mitruderer, Midreder, Midroderer, and Mideroderer. This surname is also sometimes spelled as Metterder, Mettreder, Mitdaeric, Middleder, Muttreder, or even Mutdoder.
The Mittereder surname is mainly found in Germany, South Tyrol and parts of Austria, but may also be found in other countries, particularly among German emigrants. It is also common among the German Mennonite movement, as the name was used as a patronymic name, indicating a degree of kinship.
The spelling of the name has also been Anglicised in some places, with variations like Middendorf, Meddendorf, Meetdendorf, Mitdendorf, Meddief, and Metdief being recorded. In other places, the name has been changed to versions saying the same thing but in the local language, such as D'Mittereiner in Austria, or D'Mittlider in Switzerland. In other cases, the first syllable of the surname has been dropped, with the remaining syllables creating Metter, Meder, Metterer, Mettner, Metterer, Matzer, Mederle, and Mederl becoming common in different places.
Famous people with the name Mittereder
- Christian Mittereder: A German actor, most notable for his regular roles in The Last Cop and Ku’damm 56.
- Max Wandermüller: A retired Swiss bobsledder who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning two World Championships medals in 2000.
- Franz Mittereder: An Austrian football player who made 84 appearances in the top flight of Austrian football between 1950 and 1957.
- Fabian Mittereder: An alpine skier from Austria who has been competing on the World Cup tour since 2014.
- Josef Mittereder: An Austrian chemist who was most famous for inventing acetyl chloride, a highly toxic compound used to synthesise other compounds.
- Ulla Mittereder: A German author who penned the popular novel 'The Gift of Love', which was later adapted into a film.
- Hans Mittereder: A former Austrian track and field athlete who specialized in sprinting and the long jump.
- Katrin Mittereder: A German biochemist notable for her work in the field of epigenetics.
- Lorenz Mittereder: A famous Austrian painter best known for his brightly coloured abstract works.
- Robert Mittereder: A German-American physicist who contributed to the development of nuclear physics and quantum mechanics.