Surname Garnkäufer - Meaning and Origin
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Garnkäufer: What does the surname Garnkäufer mean?
Garnkäufer is a German surname, and it is derived from the occupation of the original bearer of the name. The name literally translates to “yarn merchant” from the German words 'Garn' meaning 'yarn' and 'Käufer' meaning 'merchant'. This indicates that the original bearer of the surname was a peddler of yarn or fabrics. This would have been an important trade in medieval Germany, as the ability to provide fabrics for clothing was essential for people’s livelihoods.
The name Garnkäufer is very rare, and as such, it is likely that all current-day bearers of the name are related by blood - though due to limited records this is impossible to know. There were settlements in Germany known to have been named Garnkäufer, such as a town in Sibirien, but it is unknown whether the name was adopted or evolved due to migration patterns of the original family.
The name Garnkäufer carries with it a unique meaning. It is an occupational name and emphasizes the importance of providing materials for basic human needs. What was once an essential trade in medieval Germany, is today highly uncommon, and creates a tangible link between modern-day bearers of the name and a more distant past.
Order DNA origin analysisGarnkäufer: Where does the name Garnkäufer come from?
The last name Garnkäufer is most commonly found in Germany today. It is derived from the German word “Garn” meaning yarn, and “Käufer” which means “buyer” or “trader”. It is believed to be an occupational name suggesting a family who were yarn traders.
In the 19th century, as part of the wave of German immigrants to the United States, a number of people with the Garnkäufer surname also made their way to the States. Today, the last name is most often associated with those of German descent in the United States.
In 2010, the popularity of surnames ending with “-käufer” in German was found to be highest in northwestern Germany, particularly in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. These two states also include some of the largest cities in Germany, such as Dortmund, Dusseldorf, and Hannover. In Germany, the surname Garnkäufer now ranks in the 12,000th place for frequency.
The surname transliterates to “Garnkaefer” in the United States, though often times it is Americanized to “Garner” or “Garnner”. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2010 that there were 383 people reporting the Garnkäufer surname, living in United States.
The Garnkäufer surname is today relatively uncommon outside of Germany, though it does still exist in pockets around the world as a result of immigration. It serves as a unique reminder of the impact of German migration in the 19th and 20th centuries, and of the connection between Germany and parts of the U.S. today.
Variations of the surname Garnkäufer
The surname Garnkäufer is of German origin, with variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin including Garnkaefer, Garnkahfer, Garnkahofer, Garnkahffer, Garnkoeffer, Garnkaufer, Garnkaefer, and Gernkahafer.
Garnkaefer is the most recognizable form of the surname and is the earliest variant recorded to date and was used as far back as the early 1600s in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. This variant appeared in several records of baptisms from that era, including those of Johannes Gerokofer in 1629, and Anna Garnkaefer in 1634, both in Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The variant Garnkahfer is next in line and appears to have originated in the early 1600s, as well, most commonly in the Brandenburg and Hamburg regions. As with Garnkaefer, this spelling appears in numerous baptismal records, including that of Hans .Garnkafer in 1659 in the Brandenburg region, and Maria Catharina Garnkahfer in 1666 in Hamburg.
The variant Garnkahofer, which appears mainly in the Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Rhineland-Palatinate regions of Germany, is also common. This form of the surname was first recorded in 1699 in the baptismal record of Johannes Garnkahofer in Schleswig-Holstein.
Garnkahffer and Garnkoeffer both began to appear in records at the turn of the 19th century, mainly in the Rheinland-Pfalz region of Germany. The earliest recorded instance of the surname is in the marriage record of Gottlieb Garnkahffer in 1803 in Bexbach. Similarly, the earliest recorded appearances of the surname Garnkoeffer is in a baptismal record from 1807 in Prüm.
Garnkaufer is another variant which first appears in records shortly after, in 1817 in the baptismal record of Georg Adam Garnkaufer in Prüm, Germany.
Finally, the variant Gernkahafer appears as recently as the mid-19th century, specifically in 1859 in the marriage record of John Gernkahafer in Ransbach-Baumbach, Germany.
Famous people with the name Garnkäufer
- Gustav Garnkäufer: Gustav was a German politician who was a member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) from October 2013 to June 2015. He was initially elected to the state assembly of Thuringia but later reelected as a member of the Bundestag.
- Axel Garnkäufer: Axel was a German composer and organist born in Berlin in 1925. He specialized in sacred vocal and vocal-instrumental works. His works often combined traditional and modern styles. He often created pieces in many genres such as Lieder, Oratorio, Cantata, and liturgical works.
- Heinrich Garnkäufer: Heinrich was a German professor and physicist, born in 1870. He is best known for his work in optics, in particular on the polarization of light. He also had a big part in the development of modern spectroscopy.
- Reiner Garnkäufer: Reiner was a German philosopher born in 1954. He specialized in aesthetics and social theory. His publications include Über Aesthetik: Rekonstruktion eines ästhetischen Diskurses (1988) and Kampf um den Körper (öffentliche Fragen des Zeitalters der Vermessung und der Vernetzung) (1994).
- Wilhelm Garnkäufer: Wilhelm was a German art historian and philologist born in 1901. He researched medieval sculpture and was part of teams who identified and catalogued Romanesque and Gothic monuments in Franconia. He was also known for his work on German and French symbols and monuments from the 17th and 18th centuries.