Surname Siepen - Meaning and Origin
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Siepen: What does the surname Siepen mean?
The surname Siepen is believed to be of Germanic origin, and derived from the personal name Seppen which was a diminutive of the given name Seppo. Seppo, in turn is thought to have been an adaptation of the name Joseph. The original form of the name, therefore, was Seppen or Siepen.
The name is believed to have first appeared in the early 13th century and is recorded primarily in Germany. The earliest documented instance is found in 1281 when Villekin Sypen, a Bohemian nobleman, is mentioned in a document from the monastery of Hautvilla in North Central Germany.
At the time Siepen was a unique and distinguishing family name, with only a few families named Siepen living in central Europe. Through the following centuries its use spread into other countries such as Poland, Russia and the United States as people migrated in search of better opportunities.
Today, Siepen is still a relatively uncommon surname, particularly in the United States. Spelling variations of the name including Seipen, Sypen, Sippen, Sippon, Zypen and Zehpinn are also occasionally used to describe those descended from this magnificent European family.
Order DNA origin analysisSiepen: Where does the name Siepen come from?
The last name Siepen is most commonly found in Germany and other German-speaking regions of Europe. It is particularly common in North Rhine-Westphalia, a state in the western region of Germany, where around 860 people currently carry the last name. It is also found in substantial numbers in the nearby states of Lower Saxony and Hesse.
The majority of those with the last name Siepen are thought to be of German ancestry, with the name first appearing in German records in the 13th Century. The earliest known historical reference to the name is from the Middle Ages, where it is frequently recorded in the records of a noble German family from the area of Kalkar.
The name is also found in other parts of Europe in front of names of German immigrants. The Netherlands, Switzerland and Liechtenstein all have citizens named Siepen. In the US, Siepen is most commonly found in Wisconsin and Michigan. It also appears in counties with large German-speaking populations, such as Florida and California.
Although the numbers are decreasing, there is still a noticeable presence of the last name Siepen in areas of North Rhine, Westphalia, highlighting the name’s continued popular after centuries of use and heritage.
Variations of the surname Siepen
The surname Siepen is derived from the Middle Low German word "sippen" which means to drink. The variant spellings of this name include Seipen, Sipe, Sippen, Seepen, Seypen, and Siepe.
Surnames of similar origin include Seepers, Speipe, Sceepers, Seiben, Seibers, and Seibens. In fact, the spelling Siepen was first used as a variant of Seiben in the 17th century.
In Germany, the spelling Siepen is most common in the town of Siepen, which is located in the district of Minden-Lübbecke, North Rhine-Westphalia. Other similarly named places in Germany are Sippenbach, Sippendorf, and Siepelbaum.
The surname Siepen is also found in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Northern France. In Belgium and the Netherlands, the spelling Seipen is more common.
The spelling Siepen is also used as a patronymic surname, which is derived from the given name of the father. For example, someone named Jacob Siepen may be the son of a man named Siepen.
Finally, variants of the surname Siepen are also found in countries around the world that have been heavily influenced by German immigration. These countries include the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Argentina.
Famous people with the name Siepen
- Ralf Siepen: German politician and member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He previously served as the 5th Mayor of Arnsberg from 2005 to 2009.
- Carsten Siepen: German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded two companies within the automotive industry, Unternehmen Siepen GmbH and Himont GmbH.
- David Scott Siepen: British actor who has appeared in films such as “The Princess and the Frog”, “Atonement”, “X-Men: The Last Stand”, and “Florence Foster Jenkins”.
- Janina Siepen: German retired footballer who played for the German national team and several club teams in Germany and Australia.
- Kay Siepen: German television presenter and journalist, best known for hosting the show “Guten Morgen Deutschland” on the German news channel N-TV.
- Bodo Siepen: German musician and composer. He was the songwriter and bassist in the 1980s rock band Die Toten Hosen.
- Lars Siepen: German television presenter and reporter for the news programme “Tagesschau”.
- Martha Siepen: German Olympic ice skater who competed in the 1952 Winter Olympic Games in Oslo, and the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
- Olaf Siepen: German professor emeritus in mathematics at the University of Bremen, and internationally known for his contributions to the mathematical fields of numerical mathematics and orthogonal polynomials.