Surname Steinweh - Meaning and Origin
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Steinweh: What does the surname Steinweh mean?
The last name Steinweh is a German surname believed to have originated in the region of Westphalia. It is derived from German words meaning, ‘stone wall’ and is said to refer to someone who lived near a stone wall or who worked with stones. Steinweh is a common surname found among families who settled in the United States and Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Those bearing the Steinweh surname can be found predominantly in the Midwestern states of the U.S., including Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Other countries with significant populations of Steinweh’s include Canada, Mexico and Argentina. As quite a common name it is likely to have a range of variations, including Steinweg, Steinwehr, Steineway and Steinweiss.
The name Steinweh was also particularly popular among members of the Amish and Mennonite communities, settling in the midwestern states. Many plenty of these individuals bearing the name regrouped in South America and Canada during the 18th century and 19th century, as part of religious immigration to avoid persecution. Later in history, during World War II, many European Steinweh's moved to the United States to escape the violence and persecution of Nazi's regime.
Overall, the name Steinweh has a long and rich variety of histories. It is heavily associated with the midwestern areas of the United States and was particularly popular with Mennonite and Amish communities, before being widely adopted by other populations during World War II. Those bearing the name, no doubt have a fascinating family heredity.
Order DNA origin analysisSteinweh: Where does the name Steinweh come from?
The last name Steinweh is most commonly found in Germany today, where its holders are mainly concentrated in the federal states of Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate. This last name is also common in parts of France and Switzerland.
Aside from Germany, Steinweh is also seen in rising numbers in North America, especially in the United States. In this region, the majority of the holders of this name are from German-American ancestry, making available population records that predate the American Revolution.
The American popularity of the name is largely traced back to a large influx of German immigrants to the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Steinweh family was among those immigrants, and its members were mostly involved in various agricultural pursuits and some with textile trades.
In Germany, the name is an occupational name specialized for a Germanic form of animal husbandry related to a family profession of pisciculture. This profession involves animal husbandry and care for living things like fish.
According to recent data, the name is most common in Germany, followed by the United States, France and Switzerland. Its popularity is rising, especially in the US.
Variations of the surname Steinweh
The surname Steinweh has many variants and spellings. The spelling Steinweh itself can either be separated or blended together, making both forms - Steinweh and Steinwe - potentially valid spellings. Other forms of the surname can also be found with other suffixes and various characters in place of the “h”, such as Steinweg, Steinwegg, Steinweck and Steinwecke.
The surname can also be seen with the prefix “von” (German for "from"), which can be seen in the variants von Steinweh, von Steinweg, von Steinwegg, von Steinweck and von Steinwecke. It is also possible to see the suffix “er” added to the surname, leading to the forms Steinweher, Steinweger, Steinwegger, Steinwecker and Steinwecker.
Surnames of a similar origin may also appear with slightly different spellings and variants. Variants such as Steineh, Steinah, Steinach, Steinegg, Steinisch and Steynweg may turn up in records and family trees, all of these are derived from the original surname Steinweh and would be considered related to it.
Famous people with the name Steinweh
- Aaron Steinweh: American songwriter
- Alexander Steinwehr: German architect
- Gertrud Steinweg: German poet and painter
- Hans Steinweg: German brewer and photographer
- Patrick Steinweg: Swiss-German sculptor
- Fred Steinweg: American drag racer
- David Steinweh: former professor of accounting
- Christa Steinweg: German actor
- Jannis Steinweg: German composer and musician
- Scott Steinweg: American player of American football
- Peter Steinweg: German entrepreneur
- Leon Steinweg: American film producer
- Hans-Jörg Steinweh: German engineer and businessman
- Walter Steinweg: German art critic and curator