Surname Sperl - Meaning and Origin
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Sperl: What does the surname Sperl mean?
The last name Sperl is a German and Jewish name believed to be derived from the Yiddish word sperl, meaning "lark" or "chat." The name may have originally been a nickname for someone with a cheerful or talkative nature.
In the 15th century, the Sperl family began to become established in Austria and Germany. Today, the Sperl name is largely found in German-speaking countries, such as Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe.
The Sperl name has become widespread over the centuries as members of the family moved, often as part of the diaspora of Jews living in Europe. During the height of the Black Death in Europe, some Sperl families immigrated to the Americas, particularly the United States and Canada.
Throughout its centuries in Europe, the Sperl surname has come to be associated with well-educated and high-status individuals. The Sperls of Germany, Austria, and elsewhere were often lawyers, physicians, academics, or politicians. Families of Sperl were influential in both political and social life and often embarked on business ventures.
The Sperl family name has over the centuries come to represent a proud and rich heritage, a diverse history, and a diverse pool of ancestors. Those descended from the Sperl family today may have diverse ethnic backgrounds, from European, Ashkenazi Jewish, African, Asian, and Native American to mixed. Regardless of their background, those with the Sperl surname have at least one thing in common: a proud and intriguing history.
Order DNA origin analysisSperl: Where does the name Sperl come from?
The last name Sperl is most commonly found in Western and Central Europe. The countries with the highest concentrations of the Sperl surname are Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. In particular, the area of Austria encompassing Tyrol and Sudtirol historically bears a particularly high concentration of Sperls due to the region's centuries-old farming and dairy industry and the influx of migrant workers over the centuries.
In the United States, the Sperl surname is most heavily concentrated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Midwest states of Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Most likely, these families originated in Central Europe and emigrated to the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Interesting, because the Sperl surname is quite rare, some families have adopted it from either a family friend or an old ancestral line that had adopted it in order to stand out. In some instances, the name is modernized to 'Sperling' and other variations.
The Sperl surname is fascinating for practitioners of genealogy, as it is a rare surname with a complex history of migrant workers and generations of farming in Central Europe. It is an interesting reminder of the diversity of immigrants who settled in certain parts of the United States and the unique and beautiful ways they were woven into the American political, cultural, and religious landscape.
Typically, even today, the Sperl surname is associated with the farming and dairy industry, being an industry exclusive to the mentioned Central European countries that share the Sperl family tree.
Variations of the surname Sperl
The surname Sperl is an occupational name for a sailmaker, from Middle High German sponnerlin, a diminutive of spon or spun, meaning ‘sail, sailcloth’. This surname is also found as Sprell, Sprelli and Spiegel. In some cases, it could have originated as an ornamental name derived from Middle High German spon or spun, meaning ‘a broad band of cloth’.
Variant spellings of the name in Germany include Sperringer, Spurl, Sperlin, Sperlich, Spörl, Spoehrl, Spoergl, Spökel, Spöhling, Spuehl, Spula, Spur, Spurn, and Sporl.
In Austria the variations of the name include Sperl, Sprel, Sperel, Speerl, Spohr, Sporl, Sporr, Spurl, Spurlg, Speer, Spörlg and Spörrl.
In some cases, this surname has been Americanized to Speare, Spurl, or Spore. In the United States, alternate spellings and surnames include Spearing, Sparling, Sparing, Sparks, Spore, Sporr, Spurr, and Speare.
The name is also found as Sperling in Austria, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. The spelling Sperling is also an anglicized form of the German surname Spierling or Sperling, which is derived from the German ‘Sperling’ meaning ‘sparrow’.
Variations of the name in the UK include Spell, Spellman, Pollett, Parlitt, Parlett, Spurle, Spurling, Sparing and Spearing.
If the surname is of Jewish origin, the common form of Sperl is Spielman or Spielmann. It is derived from the Yiddish or Hebrew word ‘Shpil,’ meaning ‘game.’
In some cases, the spelling Sperl may have arisen from an alternate spelling of the German or English name Parfitt, which is derived from the Old English personal name Porfic and means ‘pig’s enclosure’.
The surname Sperl is also found in Scandinavia, where it is spelled Sperling, Spörling, Söpring, and Söpöring. In Sweden, it is found as Sperling, Spährling and Söhrlin.
The spelling Sperl can also sometimes represent a shortened form of other longer German and Jewish names such as Sperling, Speier, Speyer or Speierling.
Famous people with the name Sperl
- Friedrich Sperl: Friedrich Sperl was an Austrian painter and graphic artist who is best known for his large-scale watercolor works depicting bird life.
- Arnold Sperl: Arnold Sperl was an Austrian disabled athlete who competed in Paralympic alpine skiing events.
- Adolf Sperl: Adolf Sperl was an Austrian painter and graphic artist known for his landscapes and figurative works.
- August Sperl: August Sperl was a German painter, draughtsman and etcher.
- Philipp Sperl: Philipp Sperl was an Austrian sculptor who created a bronze fountain that is now on display at the Albertina museum in Vienna.
- Michael Sperl: Michael Sperl is an Austrian film director and screenwriter.
- Ernst Sperl: Ernst Sperl was an Austrian footballer who played professionally for clubs in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
- Alfred Sperl: Alfred Sperl was an Austrian producer and director for the Austrian Federal Theatre in Vienna.
- Konrad Sperl: Konrad Sperl was an Austrian race car driver who drove in the early years of Formula One racing.
- Andreas Sperl: Andreas Sperl is a contemporary Austrian artist, known for his large-scale photographic paintings.