Surname Würffels - Meaning and Origin

Würffels: What does the surname Würffels mean?

Würffels is a German surname that is derived from the old German word, ‘würfel’, which translates to ‘cube’, ‘die’, or ‘dice’. This indicates that the original bearer of the surname was likely someone who made or played dice for a living, or who lived near a dice maker.

In some cases, the surname may also be taken to have developed from a place name, for example, a village that was known as Würffel or Würffels; alternatively, the surname may have referred to a family or a family member who was very fond of dice-playing.

The origin of the surname is closely associated with the Middle Ages, when dice games were very popular and often used as a form of entertainment among the lower classes of society. This association with elements of gaming and luck is highlighted by the fact that ‘würfel’ is also a colloquial term for an individual's luck, and it is even used in German sequence song for children called “Heiraten” (“to marry”).

Today, Würffels is a relatively common surname in Germany, as well as in parts of Austria, and other German-speaking countries. It is used to denote people with ancestry from these regions and, in many cases, can be seen as an indication of a family’s connection to their country’s cultural history.

Würffels: Where does the name Würffels come from?

The last name Würffels is most common today in Germany. The name Würffels is derived from the German word ‘würffel’, which means ‘block’ or ‘cube’.

According to the German regional office of statistics, Würffels is the 15,063rd most common surname in Germany. As of 2018, 4,423 people had this surname. The majority of people that share this surname live in North Rhine-Westphalia, followed by Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Hamburg. People with the last name Würffels also live in other countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and the United States.

The earliest use of the Würffels surname dates back to 1790 in Germany, when Johannes Würffels was mentioned in the German Parish records. The surname is likely to be of German and Dutch origin and may have different spellings, such as Würfel or Wurffels. It is also possible that there are multiple spellings due to regional dialects.

The Würffels family can trace its origins to both the Netherlands and Germany. Ancestry records show that over the course of history, many members of the family moved from Germany to the Netherlands and vice versa. This could explain why the surname is distributed across Germany and the Netherlands today.

The Würffels are likely to be descendants of Irish immigrants and German farmers. This connection may have been made during the 17th and 18th centuries when many Irish migrants came to Germany to find work.

Today, the Würffels surname is found across Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and the United States. It is likely that members of the family have moved around the world over the years and settled in different countries.

Variations of the surname Würffels

The surname Würffels (also written as Wurffels, Wurfels or Wuurffels) has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the early 14th century. It is a topographic or locative differential surname, which denotes someone who is from a particular location. The earliest record of the family name was found in a document from the former city of Mecklenburg, Germany, dated 1327–1329. It is likely that the name originated in western Germany, but this is not certain.

Over time, the surname has diversified its spelling and has also been adopted by others, such as the Wurffel, Wuurfel and Wuerfel families. The pronunciation of the surname varies depending on where it has been adopted as its spelling can be quite different depending on which language the family originates from.

In some cases it has been anglicized to Wurffle, Wurfell or even Woraffle, all derived from the German Würffels.

The surname is most commonly associated with the Netherlands as the spelling is similar to Dutch variants of the name, but it is also prevalent in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the United States of America.

The history of a family with the surname Würffels is likely to have seen multiple spelling changes over the years. Also, the surname being adopted by those from other countries would have been attributed to migration as a result of the industrial revolution, wars, famine or indeed other reasons.

The surname has a significant heritage in Germany and several members of the family have made their mark in German history. The Würffels family is seen as an influential and successful lineage since its beginnings and, to this day, still carries a sense of power and respect throughout much of Europe.

Famous people with the name Würffels

• Barbara Würffel, German actress
• Mark Würffel, former American football player
• Lutz Würffel, former German footballer
• Dr. Thomas Würffel, German theologian and university lecturer
• Helmut Würffel, German politician
• Heidi Würffel, German IFBB pro bodybuilder
• Horst Würffel, former German footballer
• Iris Würffel, German former journalist and politician
• Oliver Würffel, German composer
• Petra Würffel, German politician
• Philipp Würffel, German industrialist
• Heinz Würffel, former German footballer
• Dierk Würffel, German actor
• August Würffel, German politician
• Dieter Würffel, German former politician
• Hans-Peter Würffel, German fencer
• Stefan Würffel, German long-distance swimmer
• Max Würffel, German racing driver
• Sven Würffel, German journalist and political commentator
• Jan Würffel, German former professional ice hockey player

Other surnames

WürffelWürffell