Surname Woehlecke - Meaning and Origin
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Woehlecke: What does the surname Woehlecke mean?
Woehlecke is a German surname originating from the personal name Wehleke, a compounded form of Wehe or Wohe meaning "woe." The name was generally associated with someone from whom many sorrows were thought to come. Variations of this surname include Welcke, Wöhlke, and Wöhlec.
The name Woehlecke was also associated with life in the German region of Brandenburg, which was a county in Prussia from the Middle Ages up until 1945. It’s likely that one of the first people to bear this name was from this area and it eventually became the official surname of the family.
The spelling of Woehlecke may have come from the German spoken during this era. One example of this can be seen in the verb lecken, which means “to lick.” The surname could have also come from the Middle High German vowel shift, which caused the “oe” vowel combination in Wehleke to change to “e.”
Today, Woehlecke can be found throughout northern and eastern Germany, as well as other parts of the world where German-speaking immigrants have settled. Though the name is relatively uncommon, it is still in use in the modern day and is associated with the original source of Woehlecke: sorrow.
Order DNA origin analysisWoehlecke: Where does the name Woehlecke come from?
The last name Woehlecke is generally thought to be of German origin, and today it is most commonly found in Germany and surrounding regions. It is also known to occur occasionally in the rest of Central and Northern Europe. It is generally found with a wide distribution across Germany, with occurrences in East Germany, West Germany, North Germany, and South Germany, among others.
The name Woehlecke is also found in the United States, where it is often anglicized, and the spelling may change slightly. This surname is not considered to be particularly common in the US, however.
In Germany, the name Woehlecke is considered to be a variation of the more widely used name Wohlecke, and it is found in the Low German-speaking areas of Germany. It is also a surname that is sometimes misspelled as Wohleck, Woehlke, Wöhlke, Wohleke, and many other variations.
Individuals bearing the last name Woehlecke may be related, though it is usually impossible to trace an individual’s family tree using this surname alone. It is worth noting, however, that the name has been spelled in a number of different ways throughout history.
Variations of the surname Woehlecke
The surname Woehlecke is of German origin and is one of the many variations of the name Wöhlcke, Wöhlecke, Wöhleck, and Wöhlke. In German, the name Woehlecke is derived from the old German words "wohl" meaning "good" and "ecke" meaning "corner". The name is a reduced form of the longer German name Woehlcke.
In the United States, the surname Woehlecke has been changed to Wahlke or Wahlcke. In some cases, the name was changed to Walke, Wahl, or Wallke.
In other parts of the world, the surname Woehlecke has also been altered, such as in the Netherlands, where it is spelled as Wolvecke. Similarly in Poland, it is spelled as Wolkcke and in Hungary, it is spelled as Velecke.
The surname Woehlecke dates back to at least the 13th century, when it first appeared in documents in Eastern Germany. It was likely derived from the first person to live in a specific "Woehle," which was a town or village. Over time, the spelling of the name changed to match the local dialect, resulting in the multiple variations seen today.
Today, the variant spellings of the surname Woehlecke are still found in German-speaking countries as well as in other parts of the world.
Famous people with the name Woehlecke
- Laura Woehlecke: An American lawyer, currently an administrative law judge and the Chairperson of the Office of Administrative Hearings at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- Ansgar Woehlecke: A professional footballer from Germany who plays as a left-back for the club SV Rödinghausen.
- Helge Woehlecke: Also known as Helge Horst, a German singer and songwriter most recognised for being the lead vocalist of the band Horstband Projekt.
- Christoph Woehlecke: He is a German former football player who played as a striker. He is best known for his spells with the clubs Alemannia Aachen and FC St. Pauli.
- Ludger Woehlecke: A deputy leader of the German men's national volleyball team. He is also a world-class coach with a long and impressive career.
- Peter Woehlecke: A German-born American professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for two teams.
- Juliane Woehlecke: An internationally recognized German and contemporary sculptor whose works are inspired by nature and have been exhibited in art galleries around the world.
- Michael Woehlecke: A German astronomer and astrophysicist who is currently a professor emeritus of astrophysics at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.
- Heike Woehlecke-Völker: A German actress and stage director and writer who is best known for her roles in the films “Der Sommer Unseres Lebens”, “Fünf Freunde 4”, and “Das Pubertier”.
- Gunnar Woehlecke: A Swedish professional golfer who has had a successful career playing in the European Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Nordic Golf League.