Surname Schieferdecker - Meaning and Origin
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Schieferdecker: What does the surname Schieferdecker mean?
The last name Schieferdecker is of German origin. The name is derived from the German words "schiefer", meaning slanted, and "decker", meaning roofer or shingler.
Historically, the name is likely to have originated when a roofer by the trade was identified in some way as having a slanted shingle style or technique that was unique among his contemporaries. This likely made him stand out in the community and resulted in the name becoming associated with his descendants for generations to come.
The surname Schieferdecker evolved over time to become associated with the roofer trade – the occupation of individuals who specialize in repairing, replacing or laying new roofs - and is now an occupational surname. Those with the last name Schieferdecker come from a long line of roofers, or tiled-roof shingle specialists.
The Schieferdecker name can now be found throughout Germany and across the world. Its immigrant families have left their mark all over the United States and Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand. This is testament to the hard-working families who took their expertise when they left their homeland, braving a great unknown for the chance of a better life.
Order DNA origin analysisSchieferdecker: Where does the name Schieferdecker come from?
The last name Schieferdecker is most commonly found in Germany today. The name comes from the German words “Schiefer” and “decker” meaning “slate” and “deck” respectively. The surname likely indicated generations of ancestors who worked as slate roofers.
The surname is quite rare outside Germany with around 3,300 people sharing the name today according to records. The majority of those people live in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Baden-Württemberg. Smaller concentrations are found in other European countries such as Austria and Switzerland.
The name is slightly more common in the United States, but there is still only a small population of people there with the surname Schieferdecker. The largest concentration is in East Coast states like New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. The name seems to have become more common there in the 19th century when immigrants from German-speaking regions of Central Europe made their way to America.
Given its rarity, the Schieferdecker surname may have you believe you’re related to few people in the world. However, it could indicate a connection to centuries worth of slate roofers who got their start in Germany and spread their trade around the world.
Variations of the surname Schieferdecker
The surname Schieferdecker is a German surname that has various spelling and variants used in different countries throughout history. Depending on the region and era, it’s also known as Schieferdeck, Schieferdecker, Shifredeker, Shifriderker, Scheefferdeker, Scheeferdeker, Scheufredeker, Skiffriderker, and Shufferdeker.
The German origin has the primary spelling as Schieferdecker, with other variants such as Schieferdeck, Schifredeker, and Shufferdeker being alternative spellings. The name is derived from the German word “schefen” meaning “shield” and the term “decker” which translates into “boarder” or “carpenter” in Old German. It could have signified someone who build ships or was involved in managing and constructing buildings.
The surname has crossed borders and migrated to the Dutch area as Scheeferdeker, as well as to the present-day France where it is spelled Scheufredeker. In the United Kingdom, the Schieferdecker surname has changed to Shifriderker. Moreover, the Skiffriderker surname is found in the United States, and Shufferdeker is a variant spoken in parts of Poland.
The Schieferdecker surname is not a common one, but its various variants can be found all over Europe and parts of North America. Through the years, the surname has been spelt variously due to mistranslation, gender, assimilation, migration, and other factors.
Famous people with the name Schieferdecker
- Martin Schieferdecker: musician and composer of operas, oratorios, chamber music, and ballets.
- Werner Schieferdecker: German ski jumper who competed for the East German team in the 1976 Winter Olympics.
- Julie Schieferdecker: classical oboist and professor of music at several universities, including the University of Texas, where she is currently professor of obo-English horn.
- Frank Schieferdecker: German physicist and professor at the Technical University of Berlin, where he conducts research in nuclear physics.
- Johannes Schieferdecker: German mathematician, computer scientist, and professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt, where he held a chair in electronic information systems from 1992 to 2006.
- Karel Schieferdecker: Dutch painter and director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam from 1966 to 1975.
- Wilhelm Schieferdecker: German psychiatrist and professor at the University of Bonn, where he worked from 1959 to 1988.
- Walter Schieferdecker: German sculptor and professor at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf.
- Heinrich Schieferdecker: Austrian entomologist and professor at the University of Vienna, known mostly for his work on the biology of insects.
- Adolf Schieferdecker: German botanist, phycologist, and professor at the University of Kiel from 1900 to 1945.