Surname Klingenfuss - Meaning and Origin
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Klingenfuss: What does the surname Klingenfuss mean?
Klingenfuss is a German surname that is derived from the Middle High German term "clincken", which means "clattering". This term can be interpreted to mean someone who frequently creates a lot of noise, or is a talker in the community. It can also refer to someone who works as a carpenter, or is in a similar profession that involves the use of tools or machinery. The surname may also have originated from the name of a place or coastal region, as it is used as an alternate spelling of Kleingebrock in the North German region.
Historically, the Klingenfuss surname is most closely associated with people from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Records of the name as far back as the early 1400s appear in the city of Hamburg. In some instances, the Klingenfuss variant appears to have been used interchangeably with the Kleingebrock spelling. In other cases, the two were used to indicate two separate individuals or families.
In Germany in particular, Klingenfuss is an occupationally derived surname. This means that it was likely used to indicate that a person was involved in a particular trade or profession. In more recent times, the Klingenfuss surname has spread to other parts of the world, likely due to the displacement of German people throughout history.
Order DNA origin analysisKlingenfuss: Where does the name Klingenfuss come from?
The last name Klingenfuss is most commonly found in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly Germany and Austria. It is also a relatively common name in the United States, according to the US census, with more than 1,000 people having the surname Klingenfuss living in the country.
The surname Klingenfuss is derived from the Middle High German word klingen, meaning “blade”, and fus, an abbreviation of the Latin word for “foot”, and together they mean “blade foot”. This likely refers to someone who was a swordsmith or blacksmith, suggesting an occupational origin for the name.
The name Klingenfuss is well documented in records from medieval Germany, indicating that it is an old surname and has been around for centuries. Its earliest documented bearer was a wealthy merchant from Nuremberg who is recorded in 1253. In present day Germany, the surname Klingenfuss is most highly concentrated in the state of Bavaria, followed by the states of Hessen and Baden-Württemberg. In the United States, the states with the highest concentrations of the name are New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Texas.
Due to its long history and relatively frequent occurrence in records from centuries ago, there is a good chance that many people today can trace their family tree back to the very first Klingenfuss.
Variations of the surname Klingenfuss
The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Klingenfuss are: Klingenfueß, Klingenfus, Klingfuss, Klingefuß, Klingenfuß and Klingenfusser.
The surname Klingenfuss can trace its origin to the language of German, where it emerged over the centuries as a habitational name for someone who lived at a place, which was identified by a distinctive sign (or an emblem) in the area.
In the German language, the word “fuss” means foot and the word “klingen” suggests that the sign or the emblem at the place in the locality was understood to be that of a dagger or a blade.
One of the earliest records of the surname is the use of “Klingefuß”; supposedly used by the family of Klingenfusser who lived at the banks of the river Iser in Northern Bohemia in the 13th century. It is possible that this family, and eventually the surname Klingenfuss, moved to different areas of Germany over the years.
Another variant of the name is “Klingenfuß”; a name found in several other documents in 16th century Germany. The oldest record of the name - “Klingenfus -” dates back to 1685 in Germany.
The modern variants of Klingenfuss have evolved over the years. The various spelling variations are also adopted by the same family due to regional terrain or dialect. The same family located in different parts of Germany picked up different regional spellings and variants of the same family name. In some cases, those living closer to the border of two countries adopted a hybrid variant of the name.
It is not uncommon to find variations of the same surname in other cultures as there are known variations in Arabic, Chinese and English. Ultimately, all Klingenfuss variants and spellings share the same origin.
Famous people with the name Klingenfuss
- Christian Klingenfuss, German football (soccer) player
- Tino Klingenfuss, German deaflympic weightlifter
- Karlheinz Klingenfuss, German classical organist
- Jürgen Klingenfuss, German former football (soccer) player
- Anke Klingenfuss, German former Olympic swimmer
- Rafael Klingenfuss, Austrian former football (soccer) player
- Max Klingenfuss, German lecturer, author, and journalist
- Stephan Klingenfuss, German former football (soccer) player
- Katharina Klingenfuss, German singer and songwriter
- Michelle Klingenfuss, US. actress