Surname Spannkrebs - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'S'
Spannkrebs: What does the surname Spannkrebs mean?
The last name Spannkrebs is of German origin. It is derived from the German word “spannen”, which means “to span something”, and “krebs”, which means “crab”. Taken together, the name could mean something like “spanning crab” or “clamping crab”.
The name may have originated with an ancestor whose occupation was related to crabs or crabbing. For example, he may have caught crabs for a living or even built equipment such as crab traps or “spanns”. It is also possible that this ancestor had a physical feature or quality that resembled a crab or was associated with crab-like characteristics.
As surnames often originated as nicknames, it’s possible that the ancestor was known for his ability to span something or his crab-like features were so noticeable that they gave the ancestor his nickname.
The surname just may have been adopted for its own sake as well, as surnames often come to be used in a variety of ways. It could have simply been chosen because it sounded pleasant or out of admiration for the crab’s dexterous abilities to clamp things.
Overall, the last name Spannkrebs is quite unique and is likely derived from the German words for “to span something” and “crab”. It may be associated with an ancestor’s occupation or a physical or behavioral trait that related to crabbing or crab-like characteristics.
Order DNA origin analysisSpannkrebs: Where does the name Spannkrebs come from?
The last name Spannkrebs is most common in Germany today. In 2017, it was the 1,191st most common surname in the country. It is also found in small numbers in the United States, especially in the states of Wisconsin and Missouri.
The Spannkrebs family appears to be of Germanic origin. Records of the name date back to the medieval period when it was used as an occupational name for people who made or sold spruce branches. The name evolved over time, taking on different spellings like Spanbreck, Spanbreck, and Spanbrecke.
The Spannkrebs family is relatively small in numbers today. According to the German telephone book, there are only 931 living people in Germany with this last name. There are also 854 people living in the United States with this surname.
The Spannkrebs family is spread out over both countries. Although many still live in Germany today, many other family members have emigrated to the United States over the years. The family is now part of a thriving multi-cultural community in both countries.
Variations of the surname Spannkrebs
The surname Spannkrebs is a form of the German name Spankrebs, which is a combination of the words "span" (edge) and "krebs" (crab). It is a toponymic surname that originally was used to denote a person who came from the village of Spankrebs, which is in the Upper Franconian region of Bavaria, Germany.
Variants of the surname Spannkrebs include Spanwebs, Spanregs, Spanstrucks, Spanogels, Spannogels, Spankres, Spankers, Spanner, Spanneressen, Spennerbauer, and Spanbrecher. Different spellings include Spankresch, Sponkers, Spanbrucks, and Spenstrucks.
Surnames of the same origin also include Butscher, Brucker, Pansch, staple, Wiebke, Kesser, Ebeling, Fuchs, Eccher, Sippel, Stellhorn, and Schalk, all of which are variations of the original surname Spannkrebs.
The spelling Spannkrebs is also common in the United States, where it may be used as an Anglicized form of various other surnames, such as Spano, Panzer, Pansch, Schalk, and Spanbauer. Additionally, there are several Kantonese variants of the surname, including Sankek, Sankeku, Sankeho, and Sankin, which are associated with refugees from Songjiang, Jiangsu, China, who arrived in the United States in the late 19th century.
All in all, the surname Spannkrebs is used all around the world, and there are numerous variants and spelling variations of the same origin.
Famous people with the name Spannkrebs
- David Spannkrebs, prominent German philosopher
- Heinrich Spannkrebs, German physicist and astronomer
- Carl Gustav Spannkrebs, German jurist and physicist
- August Spannkrebs, German zoologist and herpetologist
- Boris Spannkrebs, German artist and sculptor
- Friedrich Spannkrebs, German mathematician
- Werner Spannkrebs, German geologist
- Horst Spannkrebs, German pediatrician
- Uwe Spannkrebs, German engineer and game programmer
- Joachim Spannkrebs, German actor and director