Surname Zülsdorf - Meaning and Origin

Zülsdorf: What does the surname Zülsdorf mean?

The last name Zülsdorf is of German origin and is mostly found in Germany and Austria. It is derived from a place-name, referring to those originally from the village of Zülsdorf in the district of Stendal, in Lower Saxony. First found in the 13th century, the Zülsdorf family would have originated as a local noble family.

The name Zülsdorf has several variations, including Zülsdorff, Zülsdorfer, Zelsdorf, and Zelsdorfer. All variants of the name mean ‘from Zülsdorf’, referring to a person originating from the village of Zülsdorf. Names such as Zülsdorf are among the oldest types of German surname, compared to those which signified a job or character trait (e.g. Bauer, which means ‘farmer’).

The name Zülsdorf may also be of Jewish origin, but the Zülsdorf name has been noted as being found in Germany as early as the 13th century. There are records of people called Zülsdorf from a variety of locations throughout Germany and Austria in the 17th century, one of which was Leonhardt Zülsdorf, born in 1687 in Heglitz, Germany.

What makes the Zülsdorf name unique is that its roots are in a specific geographical location, rather than a profession or character trait. This gives the name a personal touch, representing the family’s ancestral home and lending the name a certain kind of nobility.

Zülsdorf: Where does the name Zülsdorf come from?

The last name Zülsdorf is of Germanic origin and is common primarily in Germany. In most of Germany, Zülsdorf is a rarer name and, according to the Publication of Origin of Last Names, only exists in 57 towns and villages. The largest concentration is in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, where it is especially common around the towns of Greifswald and Łobez.

In more recent years, the last name has started to spread to other parts of the world, especially the United States and Canada. The largest population of people with the last name Zülsdorf outside of Germany sits in the United States, followed by Canada and even Australia.

In the United States, the last name Zülsdorf can be found in various states, such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and California. The community in Wisconsin has the biggest concentration of Zülsdorfs where they have been a part of the local population since the late 1800s. In Canada, the province of Saskatchewan has the highest concentration of Zülsdorfs who were originally from countries such as Germany, Russia, Poland, and Ukraine.

In all, the last name Zülsdorf is still more common in Germany, but its population also stretches to other places, including the United States, Canada, and even Australia.

Variations of the surname Zülsdorf

The surname Zülsdorf has several variants, spellings and surnames derived from the same origin. These include Zülzdorf, Zulse, Zulsdorf, Zuelsdorf, Zülsdorff and Zuelsdorff.

The earliest recorded use of the surname dates back to 1650, which makes it one of the oldest known German surnames. The origin of the name is derived from the Lower Franconian-Swabian dialects of Middle High German and translates as “small castle”. It originated as an occupational surname for an aristocratic family's head of the estate and lord of the manor.

The earliest recorded records of the variant spellings of Zülsdorf include Zulze and Zuelsdorff, which were used in Germany in the late 17th century and early 18th century. By the mid-19th century, these variants had spread to North America, most likely due to immigrations of German families. The variants of Zulse, Zulsdorf and Zülsdorff can also be found throughout the world in places like the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The surname can also sometimes be found combined with a second surname, usually of the same origin. One example is Zülsdorf-Lichtenauer, which is found in Germany today. Another variant is Zulsdorf-Lieberman, which is commonly used in North America.

In conclusion, the surname Zülsdorf is one of the oldest known German surnames with several different variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These variants can be found in places all over the world, and have been used to create combined surnames.

Famous people with the name Zülsdorf

• Hermann Zülsdorf (1778–1849), German merchant and notable goldsmith
• Baron Peter Zülsdorf (1820–1893), German composer and conductor
• Valery Zülsdorf (1917–2007), Russian architect
• Georg Zülsdorf (1824–1901), German chief of police
• Alexander Zülsdorf (1841–1900), German director of the opera in Mönster
• Kurt Zülsdorf (1874–1951), German violinist, conductor, and composer
• Sigrid Zülsdorf (1904–1956), German film actress
• Lydia Zülsdorf (1927–2010), German photographer
• Horst Zülsdorf (1930–1967), German Olympic gold medalist in canoeing
• Amalie Zülsdorf (1861–1957), German theater actress

Other surnames

Zülsdorff