Surname Unterholzer - Meaning and Origin

Unterholzer: What does the surname Unterholzer mean?

The last name Unterholzer is a German or Austrian surname that is fairly rare outside of its region of origin. The name combines two elements: the suffix “-holzer” is from the German word “holz”, meaning “wood”, while “Unter” stands for “under”. It is likely derived from the occupation of working with wood, such as a carpenter, sawyer, or joiner.

It is believed that the Unterholzer surname originated from the regions of Bohemia, Austria, and the Palatinate, all of which are German-speaking countries. The Unterholzers were a family of farmers and tradesmen, with some putting down roots in the Netherlands, Hungary, and in the United States, where records of the family begin in the late 1800s.

The Unterholzer surname is probably most famous from the American Unterholzer family that settled in Patrick County, Virginia. The family patriarch, Christopher Unterholzer, came to America in 1878 and his descendants still inhabit the same area today.

In summary, the last name Unterholzer comes from a German or Austrian background and is likely derived from the practice of working with wood. It soon spread around Europe as well as the US, and is still concentrated today in certain areas, especially in Patrick County, Virginia.

Unterholzer: Where does the name Unterholzer come from?

The Unterholzer surname is relatively uncommon today, although distribution is concentrated in certain countries and regions. It’s most commonly found in Austria, where records of Unterholzer families date as far back as the early 1600s, primarily in the southern states of Styria and Carinthia. In Austria, the surname is quite rare, with just under 3,000 people in the country carrying it today.

The Unterholzer family is especially prevalent in Tyrol, an alpine region in western Austria bordering Italy and Switzerland. The name is especially abundant in the areas surrounding the small town of Imst in the Inn Valley, just southwest of Innsbruck.

The Unterholzer name has spread outside of Austria as well, with a small but growing population in the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Smaller numbers of Unterholzers are now living in countries such as Israel, Canada, England, Belgium and France.

It is believed that the Unterholzer surname originated as an occupational name for a miller; in Middle High German, ‘Unterholz’ referred to a cutter of wood with a lower-grade tool, giving us the modern Unterholzer name.

Variations of the surname Unterholzer

The Unterholzer surname is an old family name originating from the German language, specifically in Southeastern Europe. Depending on the region and language, the surname is also spelled and pronounced differently such as Untenhölzer, Untenhölzner, Unterholzner, Untenhöller, Unterholzer, Unterhölzer, Unterhölzer, Unterhölzner, and Unterhöller. This development of variant spellings is due to the name being handed down through various cultural regions in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

The Unterholzer surname is a patronymic name, meaning that it is derived from a personal name in the father’s line. This can be seen in the surname variations which denote the profession of the first bearer of the surname. The prefix “unter” translates into “under.“ This means that the original bearer of the surname could have been a lumberjack or a forester who was considered to be “under” or lower in status than other woodcutters. The suffix “holz” translates into “wood,” and “er” is a derivation of the Latin word “antiem” meaning descendant. This information combined suggests that Unterholzer indicates the descendant of someone who worked with wood and was of lower social status.

Since Unterholzer is a patronymic name, it can be used as a surname in its own right or in combination with another surname. The most common variant of this would be the hyphenated combination of “Unterholzer-Unterhölzer,” or even “Unterholzer-Unterhöller.” Other combinations which can be used to denote the origin of the surname would be “Unterholzner-Unterhölzner” or “Untenhölzer-Untenhölzner.”

Ultimately, the surnames Unterholzer, Untenhölzer, Unterholzner, Untenhölzner, Unterhölzer, Unterhölzner, Unterhöller, and Untenhöller all form part of the same family name originating from the same Germanic source.

Famous people with the name Unterholzer

• Heinrich Unterholzer (Italian priest)
• Karl Unterholzer (Austrian musicologist)
• Heike Unterholzer (German actress)
• Alfred Unterholzer (Austrian general)
• Johannes Unterholzer (Austrian artist and glass painter)
• Sigismund Unterholzer (Bohemian painter)
• Peter Unterholzer (Austrian sculptor)
• Josef Unterholzer (Austrian writer, lawyer and politician)
• Boris Unterholzer (Czech/Austrian actor and writer)
• Kurt Unterholzer (Austrian director and screenwriter)
• Melchior Unterholzer (Austrian fisherman and sailor)
• Heinrich Unterholzer (Austrian politician and academic)
• Konrad Unterholzer (Austrian entrepreneur and inventor)
• Anton Unterholzer (Austrian politician)
• Erwin Unterholzer (Austrian surgeon)
• Viktor Unterholzer (Austrian photographer)
• Jakob Unterholzer (Austrian clockmaker)
• Hermann Unterholzer (Austrian marine biologist and ecologist)
• Alfred Unterholzer (Austrian general)
• Johann Unterholzer (Austrian descendant of a noble family)

Other surnames

Unterholzner