Surname Stapelmann - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'S'
Stapelmann: What does the surname Stapelmann mean?
The last name Stapelmann is a German surname, derived from the Middle High German term "stapel." This referred to an occupation of someone who stacked material, such as wood or stone, in a pile or stack. The suffix "-mann" was a common ending for occupational surnames in Germany, implying a person who was involved in the occupation.
The Stapelmann surname likely appeared in records in the late 1300s, but the etymology is not confirmed at this time. It first appears in the area of the Prussian provinces of East Prussia and West Prussia in the early 1700s.
The distribution of Stapelmann families around the world is clustered primarily in Germany and the German-speaking countries of Europe, as well as the United States and a few countries in South America.
Today, the Stapelmann name may refer to a variety of people, such as discus thrower Karl-Heinz Stapelmann of West Germany, Swiss-German economist Urs Stapelmann, and American opera singer George Stapelmann.
In addition, several German beer-producing companies, such as Stapelmann-Biere, use the Stapelmann name to this day. This indicates the Stapelmann name is still closely associated with the stacking of wood, stone, and other material to this day.
Order DNA origin analysisStapelmann: Where does the name Stapelmann come from?
The last name Stapelmann is most commonly found in Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. It is a German surname derived from the verb "stapeln", which means "to stack". The name was likely given to a family who earned their living as stackers or simply lived near a large stack of something.
In Germany, the name can usually be found in the northern part of the country, in states such as Lower Saxony, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt. It is also prevalent in the Dutch provinces of East Frisia and Overijssel and in the Polish voivodeships of Lower Silesia, Lublin, and Łódź.
Over the years, Stapelmann has become slightly more common internationally, with families living in countries such as England, Austria, United States, Canada, Australia, and the Czech Republic.
The Stapelmanns have a strong commitment to tradition, with old customs often passed down from one generation to the next. For example, families in Germany often buy a special cake from a bakery called a “Stapelmann torte”, as it is made from a recipe that has been handed down for generations. The name Stapelmann also often takes pride of place in family crests, with the stack of something often featured among other symbols of significance in the shield.
Overall, the surname Stapelmann, which is derived from a German verb meaning “to stack”, is still quite strongly rooted in Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, although it is slightly more widespread today than it once was.
Variations of the surname Stapelmann
The surname Stapelmann is of German origin and is found in areas including the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is derived from Middle High German and usually means "pile man" referring to a person who collected or arranged items in piles.
Stapelmann can also be spelled in alternative ways, including Stapelman, Staplmann, Stapler, Staper, Stapelmaier and Stapelmeier. It can also be anglicised as Steepleman, Staplemans or Stapelmans. Surnames of similar origin include Stampf, Stampfl, Stampp, Stampff and Stampfli.
The large range of different spellings of the Stapelmann surname can be attributed to regional diversity and the fluctuation of national languages of different areas over time. During the Middle Ages when English was not yet a distinct language, similar sounding words could be spelled differently by scribes according to their individual pronunciation. When records were being kept in English, those same words could be spelled in a variety of ways, often due to different conventions in record keeping in different countries.
It is likely that at least some of the surnames with a similar origin to Stapelmann refer to occupations held by ancestors long past, and that different surnames hold different meanings related to the occupation of a particular ancestor in that family. This is because when surnames were adopted for the first time, they were usually related to occupations, places of residence, or a distinguishing feature of an ancestor.
Famous people with the name Stapelmann
- Heinrich Stapelmann (1906-1973): German Nazi politician, Minister of Agriculture of Saxony between 1933 and 1945, member of the NSDAP since 1927.
- Günther Stapelmann (1933-1971): German football player, who played for the national team of East Germany from 1957 to 1964 and was a bronze medalist of the Summer Olympics in Rome 1960.
- Angelika Stapelmann (born 1940): German actress, who appeared in several TV shows and movies from 1960 up to 2004.
- Reinhard Stapelmann (1940-1999): German composer, pianist, and conductor, known for orchestrating several musicals in the 1990s.
- Johannes Stapelmann (born in 1952): German architect, whose most famous works include new buildings for the Ufa-Palast am Zoo in Berlin and the Sommer’s Italia Entertainment Centre in Oberhausen.
- Jens Stapelmann (born 1965): German actor, appearing in several TV shows and movies.
- Lothar Stapelmann (born 1968): German businessman, who is the third-generation owner and CEO of the family-run Stapelmann GmbH, a traditional retail chain for ready-made suits since 1882.