Surname Koepplin - Meaning and Origin
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Koepplin: What does the surname Koepplin mean?
The surname Koepplin is an occupational surname derived from a Germanic personal name Copl, which is a short form of the medieval Latin personal name Copillonus. The suffix “-in” or “-lin” indicate that its an occupational name, meaning the bearer was likely a worker in broom (from the Middle High German kobel) or a tradesperson who made or sold brooms.
Koepplin is a fairly rare surname that likely originated in Bavaria. The earliest known occurrence of this surname is in 1268 when a person named Copelino was recorded in the records of Thurgau, a canton in the northeast of Switzerland. In later medieval documents the Koepplins are recorded across Bavaria and Switzerland for many centuries.
Most likely immigrants bearing the Koepplin surname would have arrived in North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, having made the crossing from Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Koepplins can be found today primarily in the United States, though there are also many in Canada.
The Koepplin surname, like all surnames of occupational origin, can still be found in places where a person’s occupation would be the same as the origins of the surname. Today, the Koepplin surname may still be associated with tradesmen, such as those in the broom making industry. It is also a great reminder of how everyone’s ancestry can be traced back to trades that form the basis of our society today.
Order DNA origin analysisKoepplin: Where does the name Koepplin come from?
Koepplin is a surname that is thought to originate in Germany, though some variants can be found in the Netherlands and Sweden. Today, it is a relatively rare name and is most commonly found in the western region of Germany, particularly in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, and Bavaria. It is also known to occur in the Netherlands as well as scattered pockets elsewhere in Europe.
In the United States, the surname Koepplin is most commonly found in the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. In fact, the name was once more popular in these two states compared to elsewhere due to the huge influx of German immigrants to those areas between 1850 and 1910. In the mid 19th century, the name was the 157th most common surname in Wisconsin, with the majority of those with the name living in Milwaukee County. Today, however, Koepplin is a much less commonly seen name in the US, but it does still exist.
One notable bearer of the name is Philipp Jakob Koepplin, who lived in Wisconsin between 1832 and 1898. He was a civil engineer, an active member of the Lutheran church and political figure.
Overall, despite its initial German origin, the surname Koepplin is most commonly found in the US states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. However, it remains relatively rare and can be found scattered in pockets elsewhere in Europe and the US.
Variations of the surname Koepplin
The variants, spellings, and surnames of Koepplin include Kopplin, Köpplin, Koppling, Köpping, Koepping, Köphen and Köphenstein.
Koepplin is a German surname that originated from the name of places located in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Hess. The root of the surname is Koppel which refers to an area of land enclosed by a fence. It is also believed to refer to someone who lived by a creek or by a lake.
Variants of the surname are often seen as “Kopplin” and “Köpplin”. These are spelled phonetically and can sometimes be seen as “Koppling”, “Köpping” and “Koepping”.
The spellings and surnames “Köphen” and “Köphenstein” are relatively uncommon and are derived from a combination of Koepplin and “stein”, which means stone or rock. It possibly means someone from Koepplin who lived by a rock or a stone.
In addition to these variants, the name Koeppling is also found in some areas, likely related to the fact the name Koepplin is more popular in some areas than others.
Regardless of the spelling, all of these variants of the surname Koepplin have the same origin and are likely to refer to someone from an area with a fence or a particular geographical feature such as a creek, a lake, or a rock.
Famous people with the name Koepplin
- John Koepplin: a German footballer who played for Hamburger SV and currently works as a director at VfL Wolfsburg.
- Karl Koepplin: an Austrian doctor who specialized in the fields of diabetology, cardiology and internal medicine.
- James Koepplin: an American film director and screenwriter best known for his work on Stranger Things and The Cloverfield Paradox.
- Helmut Koepplin: a German theatre director and professor of drama who is best known for his production of staged works of literary classics.
- Tom Koepplin: an American director, producer and actor best known for his work on The Shawshank Redemption and Girl, Interrupted.
- Charles Koepplin: an American politician who served as a Representative to the Congress of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865.
- Joe Koepplin: a former Major League Baseball player.
- Jacob Koepplin: an Austrian-American artist best known for his woodcut prints.
- Floyd Koepplin: an American football player who played in the NFL from 1952 to 1963.
- Friedrich Koepplin: a German army general during World War II who was accused of war crimes.