Surname Engelbreit - Meaning and Origin
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Engelbreit: What does the surname Engelbreit mean?
The origin of the surname Engelbreit is likely Germanic, coming from the Middle High German "engel" meaning "angel" and the word "breit" meaning "broad" or "wide". The combination of these two words likely has a biblical origin and could mean "angel wide" or "angel with a broad reach".
Alternatively, the last name could have derived from geographical locations in Germany, such as Engelbrecht and Engelbreitbach. The first may be derived from the Middle High German "ingel" (meaning angel) and the second from the Middle High German "breech" (meaning creek). In such cases, the surname Engelbreit may have come to stand for those who came from or were associated with either location.
The Engelbreit surname has been around since at least the late 14th century, when someone with this surname was recorded in the town of Aalen, Germany. Since then, the name has spread across Europe and around the world. Most people with this surname have German or Austrian roots, though there may be exceptions.
The meaning of the last name Engelbreit is somewhat debatable, depending on which explanation one follows. In either case, the name stands as a reminder of the past when Europeans thought of angels as having a wide reach—a reminder of a time when people believed the death or exception of angels was as important as the birth or arrival of human life.
Order DNA origin analysisEngelbreit: Where does the name Engelbreit come from?
The last name Engelbreit is most commonly found in German-speaking countries and regions, primarily in modern-day Germany, Austria, and the Alsace region of France. The name appeared in Austria and Germany as far back as the 16th century, with the earliest known record of the surname in the Cammin parish of Germany in 1523. As such, it is likely that the family originally hailed from northwest Europe rather than the Rhineland region, and that they moved into the region during medieval times. According to the International Genealogical Index, the name is also relatively common in Switzerland, the United States, and Canada.
For German-speaking countries, the origin of the name is likely a combination of the root “angel” and “breite,” which means “wide.” This results in an interpretation near “wide angel,” a reference to spiritual strength. The name is also quite common in the United States, specifically in the Midwest, thanks to many immigrants from Germany and Austria during the late 1800s, meaning it is likely that individuals with the name today in the U.S. have German or Austrian heritage and are not necessarily directly decended from the original Engelbreit family.
Variations of the surname Engelbreit
The surname Engelbreit is a common German-language surname. It is derived from the word “angelic” and can be found spelled in a variety of ways, including Engelbrecht, Angelbrecht, Englebrecht, Engelbert, Angelbert, Englebert, Engelbrech, Angelbrech, Englebrech, Englerbreit, Englbrecht, Engelbreit, Anglbrecht, Engelbercht, Angelberht, Englebercht, Engelbrecht, Angelbreit, Englebreit, Engelbreit, Englbert, Anglbert, and Englebert.
The variant spellings of the surname are often due to the change of dialects and language, which results in slight or even major changes in the spelling of the word. For example, some German dialects would spell the name Engelbreit as Englebreit while others would spell it as Angelbreit. Similarly, Englebreit would be spelled as Englerbreit in one dialect while in another it may become Angelbrecht.
The name Engelbreit may be hyphenated with other surnames resulting in a variety of other surnames of the same origin, such as Angeldreit-Hart, Engelbreit-Seibold, Engelbreit-Zech, Engelbreit-Reich, Engelbreit-Miller, Engelbreit-Gross, and Engelbreit-van Hees.
Overall, the surname Engelbreit has a variety of spelling variants and variants that may be hyphenated with other surnames, all of which come from the same German name origin.
Famous people with the name Engelbreit
- Mary Engelbreit: American author, illustrator, licensed products designer. She is best known for her distinctive illustrations that often contain sentimental messages and are found on calendars, books, and products for sale in her own stores.
- P. J. Engelbreit: American author and teacher.
- Georg Engelbreit: German physicist who solved the mystery of the earlier rainbow phenomena reported in the 1830s by Goethe and Alexander von Humboldt.
- Leonard Engelbreit: Swiss painter and engraver.
- Jørgen Engelbreit: Danish composer and songwriter.
- Søren Engelbreit: Danish poet, author, and professor.
- Johannes Engelbreit: German Protestant theologian.
- Karl Engelbreit: Austrian historian and numismatist.
- Moritz Engelbreit: German botanist and zoologist.
- Ferdinand Engelbreit: German artist and sculptor.