Surname Koenlein - Meaning and Origin
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Koenlein: What does the surname Koenlein mean?
The last name Koenlein is of German origin, derived from the elements “koenig” or “king” and “lein” or “little”. Taken together, the name literally means “little king” or “kinglet”. It was originally used as a nickname for a person from a noble or royal family who was born smaller and weaker than his or her siblings.
The Koenlein surname first appeared in records around the early 13th century in the Bavarian village of Michsleitin, where the name was often spelled as Künlein. Over the years, the spelling of the last name varied in the German-speaking regions of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It also spread along with German immigrants to the United States, where the spelling often became anglicized to its current form “Koenlein”.
The Koenlein surname found its way to present-day Germany, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Today, there are different spellings of the last name, including Koenle, Konle, Koenl, and Konl. The Koenlein surname is also thought to be related to the similar sounding constraint surname Krummelein, which shares the same meaning of “little king”.
Whether the Koenlein family was descended from a noble or royal family, the last name’s legacy has endured over the centuries, and to this day it is a reminder of a simpler, unpretentious time.
Order DNA origin analysisKoenlein: Where does the name Koenlein come from?
The last name Koenlein is most commonly found in German-speaking countries today. It originated as a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from an ancestor's personal name and was used to indicate kinship to that ancestor.
In Germany, the last name Koenlein is a relatively common one and is found most strongly in terms of frequency in the states of Bavaria, Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Baden-Wurttemberg. Outside of Germany, the surname is also found in Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
In the United States, the surname is most commonly found in Pennsylvania, which is largely thanks to the influx of German immigrants to the area in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The last name is also found in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, New York, and California.
Despite its German roots, some individuals bearing the surname Koenlein are of Jewish descent. This is due to the fact that many Jews in Eastern Europe adopted German-sounding last names during the 18th and 19th centuries as an attempt to blend in and avoid persecution.
Variations of the surname Koenlein
Koenlein is a German surname which means “small coin.” There are several variants and spellings of this surname, including Koinle, Köhnlein, Koenle, Köhnle, Cohnle, Koinlein, Köhnle(in), Köhnle(in)n, and Könnlein.
Koenlein is a variant of the German surname Köhnlein, which is thought to derive from the Middle High German “konig,” meaning “king” or “koenigin,” meaning “queen.” This surname may have been used by families of German Royal descent.
Koenlein and Köhnlein are also variants of the surnames given to foreign artisans that were recruited in the late 1800s by the Prussian state government to work in Thuringia, western Germany. In some local cases this surname has been spelled as “Koehnlein.” It is also found as “Köhnlein” in Brandenburg, Berlin and parts of western Germany.
Koenlein may be an alteration of the Jewish surname “Kohnlein,” which is derived from the German word “koehn.” This surname is thought to have been given to Jewish families that adopted the surname in reference to their occupations as coppersmiths.
Koenlein may also be from the Old German “koen” meaning “strong,” or “Koenen,” derived from the Germanic “konawoz” meaning “gallant man.” This surname might have originally been used to give prominence to warriors or powerful people in a community.
Overall, the surname Koenlein has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. It descends from several sources, including royal descent, foreign artisans from the late 19th century, Jewish families, and prominent warriors.
Famous people with the name Koenlein
- Adolf Koenlein (1829-1913), German naturalist and zoogeographer
- Egbert Koenlein (1858-1945), German architect, best known for his Neo-Baroque designs
- Martin Koenlein (1886-1919), German sculptor
- Sheryl Koenlein (1971-present), American contemporary artist
- Friedrich Alexander Koenlein (1850-1903), German botanist
- Friedrich Wilhelm Koenlein (1816-1886), German naturalist
- George Koenlein, Jr. (1917-2016), Canadian neurosurgeon
- Leonhard Koenlein (1847-1924), Swiss architect
- Lennart Koenlein (1937-present), Swedish boxing trainer
- Robert Lawrence Koenlein (1941-present), American astronomer