Surname Schmidtgen - Meaning and Origin
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Schmidtgen: What does the surname Schmidtgen mean?
The surname Schmidtgen is a Germanic patronymic name derived from the given name Schmidt. Schmidt was a popular personal name mostly used among families of the Middle Ages, and as such was used by many different regions throughout Europe. The surname Schmidtgen is a variation of Schmidt, which literally means "son of Schmidt".
The surname Schmidtgen is typically found prevalent in the north and west regions of Germany, primarily located in Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. The surname is even found ranging from Austria to Finland, and along the Rhine River Valley into The Netherlands as far north as Denmark.
Today, the surname Schmidtgen is a common name amongst those of German descent. It is often conjugated with various prefixes depending on the region. Variations of the surname Schmidtgen include Schmittgen, Schmittgen, and Schmetgen, among others.
Due to its versatility, there are many spellings and variations of the Schmidtgen surname. Even so, the original stem remains Schmidt, meaning "son of Schmidt". In summary, the last name Schmidtgen is a variation of the given name Schmidt, meaning "son of Schmidt".
Order DNA origin analysisSchmidtgen: Where does the name Schmidtgen come from?
The last name Schmidtgen is most common today in Germany. This surname is first found in Prussia, a historical region in Central Europe and Eastern Europe that covered parts of modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. It is estimated that this surname was first used in Germany in the 14th century and has a long history in the country. Through emigration over the centuries, descendants of German families with this last name can be found today in a number of countries around the world. The last name Schmidtgen is most commonly found in Germany, with the largest number of individuals still living there. In Germany, it is the 146th most common name overall. In terms of regional distribution in Germany, the highest numbers of individuals with this surname are found in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s largest and most populous state, followed by Bavaria and Lower Saxony. Outside of Germany, the surname is still commonly found in other countries in Europe, such as the Netherlands, Poland, and Denmark. Further, emigrant descendants of the German Schmidtgen family can be found in countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia.
Variations of the surname Schmidtgen
The surname Schmidtgen, or variants and spellings of the same origin, can be seen as Schmidtke, Schmittke, Schultke, Schmittgen, Schmittgent, Schmiedken, Schmitke, Schmidken, Schmittken, Schmedgen, Schmotke, Schmeedgen and Smidgen.
The Schmidtgen surname is of Germanic origin, derived from the German words ‘Schmid’ meaning smith and ‘ken’ meaning kin or family. The name, then, can literally be interpreted as 'family of the smith'.
The use of surnames began in medieval Germany and its adoption across Europe. Those with the Smithgen surname would have likely derived from an ancestor who worked as a blacksmith. The practice of blacksmithing was widespread across Germany, often used to craft agricultural implements, armour, tools and weapons. The profession was traditionally passed down from father to son so there could have been a tradition of the Schmidtgen surname within a family.
Variant spellings of the Schmidtgen surname were often used in Germany to differentiate between families with the same surname. This practice was common as families moved around the continent and the spelling became distorted as it passed through different tongues.
The Schmidtgen surname is still found throughout Germany, along with other countries in Europe, such as England, Denmark, Finland and Spain as well as in the United States of America. This indicates that the Schmidtgen surname, or variants of the same origin, has been used for centuries.
Famous people with the name Schmidtgen
- Katharina Schmidtgen: German Actress
- Johannes Schmidtgen: German Political Commentator
- Leo Schmidtgen: German Pilot and Airship Inventor
- Paul Schmidtgen: German Football Player
- Gabrielle Schmidtgen: German Female Entrepreneur
- Juliane Schmidtgen: German Poet
- Peter Schmidtgen: German Philosopher
- Theodor Schmidtgen: German Chemist
- Alexandra Schmidtgen: German Artist
- Gunter Schmidtgen: German Film Director