Surname Segschneider - Meaning and Origin
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Segschneider: What does the surname Segschneider mean?
The surname Segschneider originates from the Central German dialect which means ‘sawyer’, or ‘one who saws’. It is a profession derived from the Middle Ages, and was held by those who sharpened blades and sawed lumber. Often, those with the name Segschneider are descended from people in the sawing trade, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Germany known as Saxony.
Segschneider is a variation of pluralized versions of patterns that include Segenshorn and Segersheim. People with the surname may have ancestral connections in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The Segschneider name has been around since the 11th century, originally appearing in records as 'Segenshurn'. The first known source of the spelling Segschneider is a record from 1742 from the State Archive in Saxony and Thuringia. It was recorded in a list of the members of the Royal Tobacconist which included the name G. Segschneider.
Segschneider or its variants may also be found in other parts of Europe, particularly in small towns and villages. People bearing this surname may have ancestors who moved around the continent as skilled craftsmen. Immigration records show that several people with the name Segschneider arrived in the United States during the late 19th century.
The surname Segschneider is now scattered throughout the world, with branches in countries as diverse as Germany, the United States, South Africa, and Australia. Its origin clearly indicates the origins of its bearer, and for those of us bearing this surname, it is a constant reminder of our history.
No matter where we may live, the surname Segschneider connects us together and reminds us of our shared identity.
Order DNA origin analysisSegschneider: Where does the name Segschneider come from?
The last name Segschneider is most common in Germany, where it is the 3757th most common surname. It is also found throughout Scandinavia and other Germanic countries, though usually in much lower concentrations or with a slight spelling variation. It can also be found in the Americas, specifically in the United States and Canada, as parts of Germanic countries have a longer history of emigration.
The first historical mention of the Segschneider surname was in 1499 in the Holy Roman Empire. It's believed to be of Franconian or Bavarian origin, either derived from the personal name Seg, or from the locations of Segnesh and Weh or Schneie in Bavaria.
The surnames Segschneider and its variations are most common in Southeast and Central Germany, especially in the states of Bavaria and Hesse, where it is found at a rate of about 24 and 12 people per 100,000, respectively. It is also found in the adjacent countries of Switzerland and Austria, and in the Netherlands as Seigscheider. It is found in smaller numbers throughout other Germanic countries, such as Finland and the United Kingdom.
The surname Segschneider is not as common in the Americas, where immigration laws and trends were drastically different. The percentages of the population of German ancestry in the United States vary by state, but it averages between 11 and 16, mostly concentrated in the Midwestern section of the country and in regions such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. It can also be found in Canada, but in much lower numbers.
Variations of the surname Segschneider
The Segschneider surname is a Germanic name, likely of Bavarian origin, and can be found in records dating back to the early 1700s. Common variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Sechschnieder, Seksechneider, Segchnieder, Segshneider, Segschnaider, Sechschneider, Seuchschneider, Seucschneider, Seubschneider, and Sebschneider.
The surname is thought to have derived from the Old German words “seegen” and “schnieder”, which together literally mean “wasket-cutter”. This suggests that ancestors with this surname may have been involved in the weaving or basket-making trade. It also suggests that the family originally came from Bavaria, one of the few Germanic regions where basket-making was still practiced in the 1700s.
Different spellings and surnames could have derived over the years because of various typographical errors, pronunciation alterations due to regional accents, and assimilations of foreign words (e.g. French, Latin, etc.) into the German language. It’s also possible that the surname itself was altered by emigrants who left Bavaria and migrated to other countries, in order to make it easier to pronounce in their new home country.
Variants and surnames of Segschneider that may be found outside of the Germanic region may include Seepscheider, Sachscheider, Sacschneider, Seighscheider, Segehscheider, Seckehscheider, Sieckehscheider and Sichschneider.
Famous people with the name Segschneider
- Adolf Segschneider (1890–1956), German art historian, museum curator and Heimatpfleger.
- Esther Segschneider (1906–2002), German children’s author and illustrator.
- Karl Segschneider (1906–1984), polio survivor, surgeon and medical writer.
- Heike Segschneider (1944–2012), German sculptor and land artist.
- Heinz Segschneider (1909–1974), German pharmaceutical chemist.
- Thomas Segschneider (born 1972), German journalist, author and media director.
- Konrad Segschneider (1875–1937), German historian and social critic.
- Herwart Segschneider (1923–2013), German Nazi war criminal.
- Joachim Segschneider (born 1927), German engineer, university professor, manager and corporate director.
- Anton Segschneider (1822–1909), Austrian Romantic era painter.