Surname Kortüm - Meaning and Origin

Kortüm: What does the surname Kortüm mean?

The last name Kortüm is of German origins and is usually found in South Germany and parts of Austria. The literal meaning of the name is ‘small court’ and derives from the German word ‘Kurz’, which means short or small. It is likely that the name was originally used as a descriptive name for a person who lived near or owned a small court or courtyard.

Kortüm is believed to have first appeared in the late 1800s, likely as a result of families moving around the Austrian-German border and their surnames evolving as they did. In more modern times the Kortüm surname can be found among members of the Dutch, Danish and German diasporas.

In terms of the family’s meaning, Kortüm implies a family of relatively modest means, though it is difficult to make any definitive statement about the socioeconomic status associated with the name without knowing more about an individual’s lineage. What is clear is that the Kortüm name has long been associated with a sense of humility and the value of building strong communities.

Kortüm: Where does the name Kortüm come from?

The last name Kortüm is most common today among people living in Germany, as well as other parts of Europe. The family surname has a long and storied history, with records indicating its roots in what is now Germany dating back to the fifteenth century. Kortüm is a German surname and may be either derived from or related to the given name Kurt, or the city of Korten, Germany.

Kortüm is a toponymic surname, which means that it was derived from the name of a place. The exact location of the old village or city of Korten is uncertain, some believe it to have been in the Middle Rhine region near the town of Wesseling, but the exact location remains a mystery. There is also some debate as to whether the name is related to the name Kurt, both of which are derived from Middle High German.

The surname is most commonly found in Germany, with other locations finding it less common. There are some Europeans with the last name who are non-German, but these instances are in the minority. Many non-German Kortüms have references to their German ancestors, indicating that there is fairly recent connection between the two locations.

The last name is still fairly rare in the United States, though there are some cases where families adopted the German version of the name (Kortüm) when arriving in the country. Kortüms in the United States are often of German or possibly Dutch descent, although the exact origins are difficult to trace.

Variations of the surname Kortüm

Kortüm is a classic German surname that has multiple variant spellings and derived surnames. The most common is Kortum, and it can take on the spellingd Korteum, Korthum, Korten, Kortheum, Kortem, and Kortemeyer. Each of these spellings can be further adapted to include Germanic versions of extra vowels, such as Korscheit or Körthimm. It is also often anglicised to Cortum, Cortham, or Corthum.

Kortüm is derived from the Old High German word ‘kurt,’ meaning ‘short.’ This origin gives us variations of the surname such as Kortz, Kortzacher, Kortzheimer, Kortbehrend, Kortmeyer, Kortner, or Kortweiskopf.

The surname may also be related to Dutch surnames, as with the forms of Korthuis, Korthals, Kortman, Kortmulder, Kortwal, and Kortlager. Other Dutch surnames can be derived from placenames, such as Kortrijk, Kortiken, Kortriks, and Korteeho.

The surname can be found across Europe in many countries, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria, and Russia. It is even found in the United States and Canada. Many bearers of the surname now utilize their own unique variations, such as Korthume, Kortumme, or Kortseums.

Overall, the surname Kortüm is an ancient Germanic surname with a wide variety of regional and Anglicized variants and derived surnames.

Famous people with the name Kortüm

• Nina Kortüm, German documentary filmmaker
• Matthias Kortüm, German actor
• Jan Kortüm, German actor
• Daniel Kortüm, German actor
• Philipp Kortüm, German actor
• Petra Kortüm, German politician
• Carsten Kortüm, German actor
• Henning Kortüm, German actor
• Alexander Kortüm, German actor
• Laura Kortüm, German actress
• Tom Kortüm, German animator
• Jan-Christoph Kortüm, German actor
• Christoph Kortüm, German actor
• Johanna Kortüm, German circus artist
• Pia Kortüm, German film editor
• Jörg Kortüm, German actor
• Johannes Kortüm, German actor

Other surnames

KortuemKortummKortümm