Surname Thilemann - Meaning and Origin
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Thilemann: What does the surname Thilemann mean?
The last name Thilemann is of German origin. It is derived from the Middle High German name Thileman or Thilan, which was derived from the Germanic word thilo, meaning "courageous" or "fearless".
In the German language, the Thilemann surname is often seen spelled as Thielman, Thielmann, Thihlman, Thilman, Thilmann, and Tilman.
The Thilemann surname is an occupational name for someone who worked as a ploughman or farmer, likely coming from the Middle High German phrase thilen man or thiles mann. It is a fairly rare name, and most commonly found in the United States, due to immigrants from the Palatinate region of Germany.
The name Thilemann is also seen as an occupational name, for someone who mined for ore, sand, coal, and stone. A variant of the name, Thielman, may also be a regional form of the occupational surname Thiele.
The crest of the Thilemann family is a shield with five silver stars, three atop two, centered with a red crescent moon. This crest symbolizes courage, independence, perseverance, strength, loyalty, and wisdom.
Thilemann is an uncommon surname, but one that still carries a great deal of meaning for those who proudly bear it.
Order DNA origin analysisThilemann: Where does the name Thilemann come from?
The last name Thilemann is most commonly found in Germany. Since the name originates from the German language, most variations of the name are of German descent. The name is derived from two elements: "Thil" meaning "people" and "mann" meaning "man". This is an old name used for a leader of a group or tribe, as it translates to "leader of the people". Today, the most common spelling of Thilemann can be found in northwest Germany, mainly in the Lower Saxony region.
Other variations of the name may come from Switzerland, Austria, and Luxemburg, as Germanic culture is shared throughout much of Central Europe. The spelling may also vary by country, with slightly different patterns surfacing in language over time. In some regions, the name may have shifted to Thielmann, Thielmon, Thiel, and Thiemann.
Family coat of arms in Germany often support the Thilemann name, with a blue shield containing two silver frogs and a gold anchor in the center. Many bearers of the Thilemann name share a common hereditary last name and can trace their origins to a certain place or region.
Unfortunately, throughout the decades, many families with the last name Thilemann were lost due to war, natural disasters, and other hardships. This limited the spread of the name outside of its original region. Even today, the Thilemann name is not common outside of Germany and other Germanic speaking regions.
Variations of the surname Thilemann
Variants of the surname Thilemann include Thielmann, Thalmann, Thielman, Tilman, Tilmann, Tilmanns, and Dilmann. The spelling of the name often varies in documents and records, depending on the language, country and time period the records were kept in. For instance, some documents record the name as ‘Thilman’, or ‘Thielman’.
The surname appears to originate from German-speaking lands in Central Europe. It developed as a patronymic name for the child of a father named Till or Dietl, as the prefix ‘Thil-‘ or ‘Thiel-’ refers to Till or Dietl respectively. In Germany, variants of Till include Tilo, Tiloi, and Tilman. As such, the variants of Thilemann could refer to the son of any of these men.
The spelling in German documents may be written as ‘Thielman’, ‘Thyelman’, ‘Tieelman’, ‘Dyelman’, ‘Dielman’, ‘Deilman’, ‘Theilman’, ‘Tealman’ or ‘Dealman’, with names like Thayle, Teele, Teelemans, Thile, Thielen, Thieme, Tiele and Tilgman also appearing as variants.
As German migrants left Germany in 1700s and 1800s to settle in the United States and other countries, different variants of the name developed. For instance, before any migration, Thileman was found mainly through Hesse and other areas of Germany. After the migration, it is found in most places in the United States as well as in Canada and Australia.
In the United States, it may be recorded as Dillman, Tilman, Thalman, Thielman, or Thielmann, with variant spellings such as Tilmann and Tillman also being seen. Similarly, spelling variations of the name in other languages may be revealed when researching documents from these countries.
Famous people with the name Thilemann
- Chris Thilemann: Chris Thilemann is an American mandolinist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known for being a member of the progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek and the folk group Punch Brothers. He was awarded the MacArthur Genius Fellowship in 2012 and named a “musical genius” by The New York Times.
- Kirby Thilemann: Kirby Thilemann is an American pop singer and musician. He is the son of Chris Thilemann and is the lead vocalist for the alternative pop band Youngblood.
- Anke Thilemann: Anke Thilemann is a German television actress and presenter who is best known for having co-hosted the children’s game show “Frag doch mal Al” on ZDF.
- Erich Thilemann: Erich Thilemann is a former soccer player from Germany who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He is best known for being a member of the West German soccer team that won the silver medal in the Olympic Games.
- August Thilemann: August Thilemann is a German poet known for writing the national anthem for East Germany, titled, “Unsere Heimat, die deutsche Volksrepublik.”