Surname Wenninghoff - Meaning and Origin
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Wenninghoff: What does the surname Wenninghoff mean?
The last name Wenninghoff is of German origin and is believed to be a topographic name for someone who came from a geographical location known as Weninghofen. The literal translation of the name is “Wening Hofen,” which was a mountain or hill estate. It likely gained popularity as a surname during the Middle Ages when many people began to adopt surnames. As such, many of those surnames were taken from the names of their hometowns.
Other variations of the name include Wenninghof, Weninghof, and Weninghoven. This last name is still most prevalent in Germany today, but it can also be found in Austria, Switzerland, and the United States. In the United States, as many individuals with the surname Wenninghoff migrated during the 19th and 20th centuries, it has spread to Canada, Mexico and beyond.
The Wenninghoff name can also sometimes be found spelling variants, such as Veninghoff, Wennigof, and Weninghoff. In many variations, the name has kept its original meaning of “Wening Hofen.”
The name Wenninghoff reflects strength and stability, representing the family’s ancient ties to the original mountain estate from which the surname was derived. Today, the family’s strong bond is symbolized by the crest that was shared with every generation. The crest, which shows two pine trees with a crown, is said to represent the family’s strength and prosperity.
Order DNA origin analysisWenninghoff: Where does the name Wenninghoff come from?
The last name Wenninghoff is believed to be most common today in Germany, and other areas of Central Europe. It originated as a German occupational surname, derived from the Middle High German word ‘wenningen’, meaning ‘from the meadow’.
The Wenninghoff surname was largely confined to Germany centuries ago. Migration patterns and population movements have since seen its reach expand beyond the country’s borders. Parts of Austria, Netherlands and the Czech Republic are also now home to pockets of the Wenninghoff last name.
Several variants of the Wenninghoff surname exist. These include van Wenninghof, Wenninghof, Wennekinhoof, Wennkinhoof, Venninghoven, Wennungen, Fenninghoff and Winninghoven.
Wherever it is found today, the Wenninghoff name is typically associated with farming and agriculture. Many locations still bear the family name, with a number of farms in German-speaking countries using the Wenninghoff name as part of their title.
In terms of its global distribution, the Wenninghoff surname does not rank highly across the world’s population. However, it does appear as a fairly uncommon name in some areas of Germany and other countries of Central Europe.
Variations of the surname Wenninghoff
The surname Wenninghoff is a German surname originating from the words Wenning (meaning flourishing) and Hoff (meaning courtyard). Variants of the surname in the different languages of Europe can have slight spellings, such as Werninghoff, Veninghoff, Venninghoff, Weninghoff, and Wennighoff.
In English, because of the natural process of conversion of spelling and pronunciation, the surname could appear as Winningshaw, Winseyhawe, Vinningshau, Winnyghowe, or Winnyghawe. In other languages, the surname may appear as Vaeninghoff in Dutch or Venningshof in Afrikaans.
Variations of the surname do exist within Germany, such as Venninghoff or Venninhoff, mainly for those who had relocated away from the original area.
The surname also appears in other countries in Europe where records exist of German ancestry, such as Austria, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, often with varied spellings—Veninghoff, Weninghof, Weninghofen, Veninghof, Weninghoff, Weninghoffen, Wenninghoffen, Winnighoff, Weninghau, Venninhoff, Vennighoff, and comparable variations.
It’s also seen in the United States and Canada, usually with more Anglicized spellings or phonetic variants: Wyningshaw, Wyningshaws, Weningshaw, Wininghause, Wynningshaw, Wynningshows, Winningshows, Wenningshaw, Wenningshawe, Winningshau, Wenningshau, Wynnyghow, Wynnyghowe, Winnighaw, Winnighawe, Wynninghaue, and similar forms.
Famous people with the name Wenninghoff
- Christopher Wenninghoff: Christopher Wenninghoff is an American landscape artist and the owner of the Wenninghoff Gallery in Mendocino, California.
- Kenneth Wenninghoff: Kenneth Wenninghoff is an American photographer known for his black and white documentary style work.
- Conner Wenninghoff: Conner Wenninghoff is an American soccer player currently playing for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.
- Amanda Wenninghoff: Amanda Wenninghoff is an American figure skater and an eight-time Junior Nationals medalist.
- Kathryn Wenninghoff: Kathryn Wenninghoff is an American professional dancer and choreographer.
- Sarah Wenninghoff: Sarah Wenninghoff is an American actress known for her roles in various movies and television series.
- Claire Wenninghoff: Claire Wenninghoff is an American competitive swimmer and member of the USA Swimming National Team.
- Catherine Wenninghoff: Catherine Wenninghoff is an American film editor best known for her work on Interstellar, The Irishman, and Birdman.
- Christian Wenninghoff: Christian Wenninghoff is executive chairman and CEO of Norton Healthcare, a healthcare provider based in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Alexander Wenninghoff: Alexander Wenninghoff is an American sculptor and the founder of Wenninghoff Foundry, an art foundry that specializes in bronze casting.