Surname Pflugfelder - Meaning and Origin
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Pflugfelder: What does the surname Pflugfelder mean?
The last name Pflugfelder is a German surname, indicating that the bearer of the name is from a family that originates from Germany. The name is derived from the words ‘pflug’, meaning plow, and ‘felder’, meaning field. The surname likely originated as a result of a person who was either the owner, renter, or farmer of a plot of land which was used for farming.
The name is one of a number of German surnames which identified a person originally by their profession or physical location. In the case of Pflugfelder, the owner or farmer of a plowed field was identified by that name. For hundreds of years, it was common practice for a person to take the name of their profession or physical address as their last name.
Today, Pflugfelder is a relatively common German surname, typically referring to a family that can trace their heritage back to Germany. It is often used to identify people who are descended from a long line of German farmers or field owners, though it is also associated with other professional or geographical professed by its original bearer.
Order DNA origin analysisPflugfelder: Where does the name Pflugfelder come from?
The last name Pflugfelder is a German name, which derives from the term for a plowshare field or “Pflugfeld”, indicating an occupation. Pflugfelder is quite uncommon and is not among the top 500 most common surnames in Germany.
Today, Pflugfelder is seen across the German-speaking world, which includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of other countries such as Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. It is also seen as far afield as The Netherlands, the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Australia.
In Germany alone, there are estimated to be around 11,000 people bearing the name. A list of cities, in order of proportion of Pflugfelderes to the population and number of Pflugfelders, reveals the stronghold the name has in certain towns and regions, with Oldenburg, Wiesbaden, Freiburg, Munich, and Frankfurt being among the leading cities.
In the United States, Pflugfelder is most common among German-speaking immigrants who settled there in the 19th century. The city of Buffalo in New York State has the highest concentration of people with the Pflugfelder surname outside of Germany.
The Netherlands has the highest percentage of native Pflugfelders outside of Germany, with many in the North and East of the country. Pflugfelder is also widely found in South Africa, with the highest concentrations primarily found in its cities.
Overall, Pflugfelder is a unique name where its bearers have spread across the globe over the centuries, leaving their mark on many countries, cultures, and languages.
Variations of the surname Pflugfelder
Pflugfelder is an ethnic German or Swiss surname derived from the Middle High German term "pflugfeld," which translates to "plowed field." It is most commonly pronounced "fluke-felt," but may also be seen phonetically as "flook-felt" or "flook-felt." A variety of variants for Pflugfelder exist, with different spellings and related surnames being used throughout the German-speaking world.
In Germany, an alternative spelling of Pflugfelder is Pflügfelder. Likewise, in Switzerland, the surname might appear as Pfluugfelder. Other related surnames from the same origin include Plügge, Plöger, Plögge, and Plödieck.
The use of patronymic surnames is relatively common throughout the German-speaking world, and as such, Pflugfelder may occur in a variety of modified forms that also reflect regional dialect. Variations such as Pluggfelder, Plufelder, Pfluet, and Pliets may be found. In addition, surnames such as Pflugrad, Pflugseidl and Pflugzimmermann, all of which are derived from "pflug" (plow), may be related Pflugfelder siblings, ancestors, or distant relatives.
Finally, the Portman surname is a rare variant of the Pflugfelder surname as well. This surname developed during the late 17th century, when a man named Jacob Portmann, likely of proto-Pflugfelder origin, became naturalized in the Swiss canton of Zurich. Since then, some descendants of Jacob Portmann have adopted the Portman surname (often with the original spelling of Portmann) as an alternative to the Pflugfelder surname.
Famous people with the name Pflugfelder
- Tom Pflugfelder, professional multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter.
- Klaus Pflugfelder, Austrian bobsledder who competed in the 1976 Winter Olympics.
- Günter Pflugfelder, German soccer player who has appeared in 394 matches for Stuttgarter Kickers and scored a total of 114 goals.
- John Pflugfelder, American author and retired professor of English specializing in literary theory.
- Elise Pflugfelder, American children's author.
- Jörg Pflugfelder, German politician and a member of the German Christian Democratic Union political party.
- Manfred Pflugfelder, German football player who represented the German national team from 1953-1961.
- Matthias Pflugfelder, Danish specialist for substance use disorder treatment and minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark.
- Anton Pflugfelder, Austrian producer, composer, and conductor.
- Peter Pflugfelder, Austrian tennis player.