Surname Klötzel - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'K'
Klötzel: What does the surname Klötzel mean?
The last name Klötzel is a German surname which was originally derived from the name of a particular place in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. The place name Klötzel is derived from the German verb "kletzen," meaning "to cut off," or "to slice." The name may have originated from an area where timber was cut or smaller pieces of land were divided.
It can also refer to a person who hailed from this particular area. Along with the place of origin, it may also connote the physical characteristics of the person who originally bore the surname. For example, it could imply that the individual was an agile person that was quick and adept at cutting through things.
Klötzel is a variant of the surname Kletz. Variants of the surname have also appeared in records across Germany, with the name Kletz being the most common form. In its various forms, the surname has been found in place names across Germany since at least the 16th century.
Today, the surname most common in Germany, but it can be found across the world, having been brought by immigrants to areas such as the United States, Australia, and Canada. It is not a particularly common surname, though it does have a long and significant history.
Order DNA origin analysisKlötzel: Where does the name Klötzel come from?
The last name Klötzel is most common in Germany today, with the greatest cluster of bearers found in the nation's westernmost region, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is thought that the name is derived from the West Germanic “klötzeln”, meaning "to hit with a hammer", and may point to the early medieval craft of blacksmithing.
As of 2018, the Klötzel surname can be found in most European countries, with a few families having spread their migrations as far as the United States and Canada. In Germany, the name is still most common in the western part of the country, with sizable concentrations of Klötzels in cities such as Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund and Düsseldorf area.
Klötzel families can also be found elsewhere across the world, though their numbers are fewer. In the United States, cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles all have Klötzels in them. Similarly, in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, the name can also be found.
Though not as common today as it was in centuries passed, the Klötzel name is still a familiar one across Germany and Europe, and is likely to remain so for some time to come.
Variations of the surname Klötzel
The surname, Klötzel, has various spellings, variants and different surnames from the same origin. These are Kloetzel, Kloetzel, Kloetzer, Kloetzl, Kloetz, Clötzel, Cloetzel, Clötzl, Clozel, Clotzel and Claetzel.
Klötzel is a surname of Germanic origin. It has been found in various regions of Germany, like Bavaria and Berlin, as well as other countries. It is derived from the Old Germanic language and is composed of two elements: “Klöt” and “zel”. “Klöt” originates from the old Germanic word meaning “rock” or “stone”. On the other hand “zel” is the verb form of the word “zell” that means “small” or “tiny”. Alltogether, Klötzel means “little rock” or “small stone”.
Due to its origin, it is believed that the surname of Klötzel is derived from a place or geographical area where there are rocks or stones. It might also refer to an attribute or characteristic of an ancestor of the family such as having a “stone-like” personality or if they were born near a place with rocks or stones.
Different spellings of the surname were formed over the centuries as people used phonetics to variously spell the name. Variants of the name were also due to regional language differences and inaccurate translations and transcriptions due to different roots of the surname.
Other surnames which are thought to have the same origin are Clozel, Kloceal, Klostele, Kohlosel, Kloetzle, Kloetz, Clotz, Klützel, and Klucel. For female variants of the surname, Klötzel, the spelling may be Klotzel or Klötzle.
Famous people with the name Klötzel
- Albrecht Klötzel: Albrecht Klötzel was a German physicist who pioneered the field of X-ray optics. He was also a professor of physics at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany.
- Dieter Klötzel: Dieter Klötzel was a German historian and professor at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Halle, Germany.
- Friedrich Wilhelm Klötzel: Friedrich Wilhelm Klötzel was a German painter and illustrator who had a great influence on the development of modern graphic design.
- Fritz Klötzel: Fritz Klötzel was a German chemist who invented linoleum. He also recognized the potential of organic chemistry, founding the world's first School of Organic Chemistry in Berlin-Dahlem in 1910, and received a Nobel Prize for his work in chemistry in 1905.
- Gisela Klötzel: Gisela Klötzel was an award-winning German actress, appearing in many plays and films to international acclaim.
- Helmut Klötzel: Helmut Klötzel was an East German conductor, composer and music professor. He studied under leading composers of the time and had a successful international career.
- Herbert Klötzel: Herbert Klötzel was a German rower who won gold at the Olympic Games in 1928 and 1932. He also won two gold medals at the World Championships in 1931 and 1933.
- Karl Klötzel: Karl Klötzel was a German sculptor who was part of a group of artists known as the Berlin Secession.
- Werner Klötzel: Werner Klötzel was a German author and journalist, best known for his books "Kafka and the World" and "The Universe According to Nature's Laws".