Surname Windischmann - Meaning and Origin
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Windischmann: What does the surname Windischmann mean?
The last name Windischmann is a German surname derived from the words “windis” and “mann,” which together mean a “man of the wind.” The name is believed to trace back to a 9th-century Bavarian noble family called Windisch. The name carries the same meaning in modern times, although its origin is unclear.
The first recorded appearance of the Windischmann surname comes from a 1577 record of an Anna Everlin, who was married to a Wolfgang Windischmann in Bavaria. Other documents from this time period also note the surname, suggesting it was in use by the noble families of the area as early as the 1500s.
In some cases the surname may be tied to the occupation of milling, as it can connote someone who works with or operates in wind power. It has been suggested this may be the result of a mispronunciation of the Windisch surname by the local environment, but this is unproven.
To this day, Windischmann remains a relatively uncommon name, although it can be found in use around Europe and in some parts of the United States. It still has the same meaning as it did in its origins – a “man of the wind.”
Order DNA origin analysisWindischmann: Where does the name Windischmann come from?
The last name Windischmann is mainly found in Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. There is also a sizable community of Windischmanns in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America.
In Germany, the surname is fairly common in its various spellings such as Windischmänn, Windishmann, and Windeschmann. The majority of those bearing the name are concentrated in the northern and western regions, primarily in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bavaria, and Hesse, with the highest concentrations in cities such as Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt.
In Austria, most Windischmanns can be found in Styria and Lower Austria and in Switzerland they are most common in Basel, Zurich, and Bern.
In the United States, Windischmanns have been present since the 19th century with most Windischmann families arriving between 1880 and 1920. They mainly settled in Pennsylvania and New York, as well as in Minnesota and Ohio.
In Canada, Windischmanns first arrived in the 1880s and then settled primarily in Ontario and Quebec. In Australia, Windischmanns have been present since the 1950s in Sydney and Melbourne and more recently in Brisbane.
In South America, the surname is mainly concentrated in Argentina due to high immigration from Austria during the early part of the 20th century. It is also found amongst the German-speaking population in Paraguay, Brazil, and Chile.
Variations of the surname Windischmann
The Windischmann surname is of German origin and is believed to have originated from the Middle High German word “windischman” which means “quick-limbed man”. The surname has been traced back to as early as the 1500s, and various forms of the name Windischmann can be found around the world.
Variants of Windischmann include Wyntersman, Wyntermann, Vyntshowman, Wintschman, Windersman, Wynterschaft, Vintersma, Vinterschmitt, Wydtersmith, Winterschmitt, Wunderman, Vintschitschman, Vintschitschmi, Vintschmitsch, Vintschimann, Wintschimann, and Wyntschman.
Many spellings of the same surname have been found over time, including Windishman, Windesiman, Wintschmann, and Wyntschmann.
The variations of the surname may also include the English surname Windesman and the Dutch surname Windesheim.
Surnames derived from the same origin are Winters, Winterscheid, Vintschgau, Wintsch, Vunderson, and Vunderzon. These surnames have similar spellings, but may have evolved as the origin was lost in time.
In conclusion, the surname Windischmann has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin, with some being more common or popular than others. The spellings and variants of the name can be found in records across Europe and the United States, where the name is still popular today.
Famous people with the name Windischmann
- Klaus Windischmann: a German researcher and professor in the fields of economics, adult education, and philosophy.
- Johann Windischmann: a German theologian and church historian known for authoring “Neue Kirchliche Zeitschrift”.
- Friedrich E. Windischmann: a German physician who, in 1839, first used the term “crystallization” while discussing the properties of plant cell walls.
- Maria Windischmann: a German educator and philosophical author who wrote extensively on the education of women in the mid-nineteenth century.
- Wilhelm Windischmann: a German theologian and author who wrote "Theological Helps" in 1753.
- Clara Mathilda Windischmann: an early 19th century German feminist who wrote several influential articles about education of women.
- Johann Georg Windischmann: a German historian and lexicographer who wrote a series of biographical dictionaries.
- Johann Christoph Windischmann: a German scholar from Fulda who published books on grammar and philology.
- Karl Maximilian Windischmann: a German chemist who worked at the University of Breslau in the 1880s.
- Karl Wilhelm Windischmann: a German doctor who contributed to clinical medicine and served as a physician to Kaiser Wilhelm I.