Surname Weißflug - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'W'
Weißflug: What does the surname Weißflug mean?
The last name Weißflug is of German origin and is derived from the noun Weiß (white) and Flug (flight). The literal translation of Weißflug is "white flight," which has a double meaning. On the one hand, this expression can refer to the rapid movement of white birds in flight. On the other hand, the term "white flight" is often associated with the phenomenon of people of one ethnic group leaving an area or country for social or economic reasons, usually in response to a growing population of a different ethnic group.
This last name is most likely linked to the latter definition as it was primarily established in 1622 in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, where a family of noble descent is recorded as using the name. During this period, many families had to leave their homes due to oppressive regimes and political unrest. The Weißflug family is believed to have been one of those families that fled their homes for safety.
The last name Weißflug is still common in Germany today. Variations of the name may also be found in France, Switzerland, and other European countries. It is a universally recognizable name and can also be found in America, Australia, and other regions of the world. In summary, the last name Weißflug is associated with a physical or metaphorical "white flight" that was caused by a variety of factors, including politics, culture, and economy.
Order DNA origin analysisWeißflug: Where does the name Weißflug come from?
The surname Weißflug is most commonly found in modern Germany, and in countries where members of the German diaspora settled. It is also common in Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, as well as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
In Germany, the highest concentration of people with the surname Weißflug is in the state of Bavaria. According to the statistical office Destatis, as of 2019, nearly 18,000 people in Germany had the last name Weißflug, of which 17,680 were living in Bavaria.
Weißflug is also one of the most common surnames in Austria, where there are about 2,042 people with the surname, concentrated mainly in the states of Tyrol and Lower Austria. In Switzerland, the canton of Valais has the highest concentration of people with the surname Weißflug. In the United States, the surname is mostly found in Pennsylvania and New York, where many German immigrants settled in the 18th and 19th centuries.
As with many German-origin surnames, the literal meaning of the surname Weißflug is ‘White Flight’. The name likely originated as an occupational name for a bird catcher, or for someone who hunted white birds, such as a falconer. Alternatively, it may have derived from the German word ‘Weissflüge’, meaning the wings of a light-colored butterfly, indicating a butterfly catcher.
Variations of the surname Weißflug
The surname Weißflug is a German name derived from the German word “weißflug”, meaning “white flight”. It is believed to have been originally derived from a place-name which described a place where birds flew away in a white cloud.
The surname can be found in various spellings across Europe, including Weissflug (in Germany and Austria), Vaisflug (in Poland), Veisflug (in Hungary), Weissfluger (in Austria) and Vesely (in the Czech Republic).
Variants of the surname include Weisseflieger, Weiseflug, Wiseflug and Weisflug, all of which have the same interpretation. It is also known under many different spelling variations, such as Weisflug, Weisflugh, Waisvlugh, Waisflugh, Vaisvlugh and Vayfvlugh.
The surnames Weisflug, Weisfluger, Weiseflug and Weissfluger are all derived directly from the original surname Weißflug, while Vayfvlugh could be derived from the Hungarian variant of its spelling.
The surnames Weisfluger, Weissfluger, Weissfleger and Weissflek are all variants of the original surname in German, while Weissflec, Weissflee, Weiss-Fleck, Weiss-Flöck and Weissfleg are all variants in Austrian-German.
Finally, surnames such as Veisflug and Vaisflug follow the Slavic version of the name, indicating that these people originated from Slavic countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland.
Famous people with the name Weißflug
- Uta Weißflug: born in 1949, a German rower
- Walter Weißflug: born in 1908, a commander in the German Luftwaffe
- Klaus Weißflug: born in 1926, Olympic discus thrower, later became a physician and professor in Austria
- Hanna Weißflug: born in 1937, a German female weightlifter
- Thomas Weißflug: born in 1964, a German show jumping rider
- Oskar Weißflug: born in 1876, a German architect and builder who designed several churches and government buildings in Silesia
- Erika Weißflug: born in 1916, Austrian-German operatic mezzo-soprano and vocal instructor
- Richard Weißflug: born in 1895, a Silesian-German entrepreneur, co-founder of the Silesian Enterprise Association
- Friedhelm Weißflug: born in 1933, composer and musical director of the Judische Kulturbund and Kopernikus Schule, Kassel
- Willi Weißflug: born in 1925, a German gymnast who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics