Surname Steinfelder - Meaning and Origin
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Steinfelder: What does the surname Steinfelder mean?
The last name Steinfelder is an occupational surname which originated in Germany. The literal translation of the name is "stone field" or "steep field." The word 'Stein' means 'stone' and 'Felder' means 'field'. The name would have indicated that the original bearer of the name was either a person who lived among or near stone fields, or someone who worked in a stone field.
The term 'stone field' could also refer to a quarry or a certain type of stone that would have been seen during the medieval period. It could have also referred to a unique geographical landscape that was filled with stones.
The Steinfelder name has been researched by various genealogists and historians with the objective of determining where and when the name first appeared. The earliest records of the name back in the 12th century and is mentioned in old documents in the former German state of Nassau.
Most people with the Steinfelder name still reside in Germany, though some family members did move to other countries such as the United States and Canada during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the Steinfelder name remains quite common in Germany, where it is found in small towns as well as major cities.
Order DNA origin analysisSteinfelder: Where does the name Steinfelder come from?
The last name Steinfelder is most commonly found in Germany today. While the name first appeared more than 900 years ago, records show that the name is most frequent in the modern-day states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Rhineland-Palatinate.
The original land of the Steinfelder family was located in what is modern-day west-central Germany, a region historically referred to as the Palatinate (or “Pfalz” in German), in an area around the cities of Kaiserslautern, Worms, and Speyer. Today there is an active population of Steinfelders in that region, with the most popular given name being Wilhelm.
The population of Steinfelders is also growing in North America, as both European and American citizens have adopted the surname, mainly in areas with high concentrations of German immigrants, such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri.
Given the very small population size of Steinfelders worldwide, the most popular way to trace your heritage or search for distant relatives is to use family history resources, such as birth, marriage, and death records, which can be retrieved through many online family tree sites and genealogical societies.
Overall, the last name Steinfelder is primarily connected to Germany, although its population continues to slowly disperse to other parts of the world due to immigration.
Variations of the surname Steinfelder
The surname Steinfelder has various variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. Some of the more common ones are Steinfeld, Steinfled, Steinfield, Steinfeller, and Steinfeldt. It is also found as Steinfelde, Steinfilde, Steinfelter, Steinvelter, Steinfelter, Steinfeldler, and Steinveler.
The Germanic origin of the surname Steinfelder is linked to occupations that require the use of stone. Those with the surname could have been builders, masons or stone cutters. It’s derived from the German words “Stein” meaning stone and “Feld” meaning field and together, it means the field of/for stone.
The spelling Steinfelder is unique to Germany, while the other variants and spellings are found in other countries around the world. For instance, Steinfeld is the spelling used in the United States, while Steinfeldt is the spelling used for families living in the Netherlands, and Steinfelter is the spelling used in Scotland and the United Kingdom.
Many of these surnames are derived from the same origin and all have similar meanings. For instance, the German word “Steinfelter”, meaning a stonecutter is derived from the same origin as Steinfelder.
The surname Steinfelder and its variants are found in many countries around the world and can trace its origins back to Germany. Its various spellings have meant that there are many families with the same surname, all with the same heritage.
Famous people with the name Steinfelder
- Cameron Steinfelder: American actor, model, producer and musician.
- Max Steinfelder: German philosopher and musicologist.
- Hermann Steinfelder: German composer and pianist.
- Jonny Steinfelder: German musician.
- Charles Steinfelder: American Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves.
- Anja Steinfelder: German long-distance runner.
- Mark Steinfelder: American rugby union player.
- Joachim Steinfelder: German fisheries expert.
- Renate Steinfelder: German entrepreneur and businesswoman.
- Kirsten Steinfelder: German politician and member of the German federal parliamentary BDI.