Surname Coesfeld - Meaning and Origin
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Coesfeld: What does the surname Coesfeld mean?
The last name Coesfeld is a German-origin surname derived from the place name Coesfeld, which is a town and municipality within the district of Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is believed that people bearing the Coesfeld surname were likely to have come from this area and spread across Europe, especially during the Middle Ages.
The place name Coesfeld is believed to have been derived from two separate sources — the Latin ‘castrum’ and the German ‘feld’. 'Castrum' is derived from the word 'casting', which means 'military camp'. 'Feld' is derived from the word 'feld' meaning 'open land, fields'. Therefore, the last name Coesfeld can be translated to mean someone from the open land by the military camp.
It is believed that people bearing the surname Coesfeld were likely to have been associated with the military. Due to the wars in Germany during this time, many people bearing this name would have likely been part of the army and potentially led to their spread across other parts of Europe. This is also likely to be why the last name Coesfeld is not limited to Germany, but also is found in other European countries such as Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Today, the Coesfeld surname is still found across Europe, although it is not overly common. The people bearing this name may not all be related and may simply share a common link to the Coesfeld region of Germany.
Order DNA origin analysisCoesfeld: Where does the name Coesfeld come from?
The last name Coesfeld is most commonly found in Germany today, although its origins are in the Netherlands. The name can be traced to the mid-1600s when Dutch Mennonites began migrating to the East Frisian region of Germany. It is likely that the name originated from Coesfeld, a small town in northern Germany near the Dutch border.
The first Coesfelds to settle in the East Frisian region of Germany were Dutch Mennonites fleeing religious persecution. Although the vast majority of the Mennonites were from the Netherlands, some had moved to Germany from Switzerland, Latvia, and other European countries. Many of the families adopted the town name of their new home, and the Coesfeld name ended up being one of the more common ones in the region.
Over time, the Coesfelds moved out of the East Frisian region and spread throughout Germany. Today, the last name Coesfeld is most commonly found in the western part of Germany, particularly in large cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. The name is also common in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe.
Although the Coesfelds have spread geographically, the familial ties remain strong. Many Coesfeld descendants still gather for family reunions to celebrate their shared heritage and to remember the town from which the name originally came.
Variations of the surname Coesfeld
The Coesfeld surname is of Germanic origin and is derived from the place name 'Coesfeld', located in the district of Coesfeld in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Variants of the Coesfeld name include: Koesvelt, Koesfeldt, Koesveldt, Köesfeld, Kösfeld, Köesvelt, Kösvelt and Kosveld.
The orthography of the surnames Coesfeld and its variants has been subject to change throughout the centuries due to regional dialects, misspelling and international migrations.
Different spelling variations of the name Coesfeld can be found in documents which date as far back as the thirteenth century, with records of the name being written as Köesvelt, Koesfeld, and Koesvelt. Since then, spelling variations have become common, with the name now appearing as Coesvelt, Coesfield, Koesvelt, and Coesfieldt.
Variations of the family name, Coesfeld, have grown out of the ancestral 'branch' of the family, leading to different surnames. A branch of the Coesfeld family may have adopted a new name over generations when they moved out of their original German locale and took strands of their cultural identity with them, accounting for the different spellings within the family.
The names Coesfeldt, Kösfelt, and Kösveldt could be examples of the practice of adding a suffix to the original surname, or the adoption of a similar sounding name to avoid confusion, offering further insight into the origins of the Coesfeld surname.
Famous people with the name Coesfeld
- Dorit Henke-Coesfeld: A German politician and member of the regional parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Jean Coesfeld: A Dutch soccer player who played for several teams throughout his career.
- Johann Baptist Coesfeld: A Catholic prelate of German origin who served as a pastor in the South Tyrol region of Italy.
- Bette Coesfeld: A German television presenter and actress.
- Raphael Coesfeld: A German historian and rector of the University of Muenster.
- Hermann Coesfeld: A German physicist and professor of optics at the University of Bonn.
- Josef Coesfeld: A German physician and professor of medicine at the University of Tübingen who specialized in therapeutics.
- Erich Coesfeld: A German banker and former chairman of the board of Deutsche Bank.
- Balthasar Coesfeld: A German sculptor who specialized in religious themes.
- Franz Coesfeld: A German doctor of medicine who practiced in Dortmund and Bochum.
- Hermann Coesfeld: A German architect who mainly worked in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Johannes Coesfeld: A German painter known for his rural landscapes and cattle depictions.
- Erhard Coesfeld: A German Catholic priest and journalist who served as editor of the German-language edition of Maritim magazine.
- Jakob Coesfeld: A German business administrator, financial analyst, and committee member of the European Defence Agency.