Surname Creutzfeld - Meaning and Origin

Creutzfeld: What does the surname Creutzfeld mean?

The last name Creutzfeld is an aristocratic German name, derived from a location near Düsseldorf. It is derived from the Middle High German phrases “crotin velde”, which means “cleared field”, It likely originated from a small farming village located near a cleared field, whose residents adopted Creutzfeld ("cleared field") as their family name.

The family name Creutzfeld is associated with the landed gentry in Germany. That is, those families who possessed land - typically large tracts of farmland. Families with this name were extremely wealthy and influential members of the German elite, often rising to positions of nobility and wealth.

Today, many people with the name Creutzfeld are outstanding members of society. They tend to be ambitious and hardworking, and pay close attention to detail. Thus, many of them rise to the top of their field, often becoming entrepreneurs, doctors, corporate executives or politicians.

No matter what their chosen profession, individuals with the name Creutzfeld have a long and proud history and the strong cultural and family identity that comes with it, thanks to their place in the German upper echelons of society for centuries.

Creutzfeld: Where does the name Creutzfeld come from?

The last name Creutzfeld is most commonly found today in Germany and other German-speaking countries, such as Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It originated as a German occupational surname, with the origin of the word "Creutzfeld" referring to a fortified enclosure.

The frequency of the name Creutzfeld is particularly high in southwestern Germany, the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, and in the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. In northern Germany, the towns of Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Aisch and Bad Windsheim, among others, also have high frequencies of the name.

In the United States, the Creutzfeld surname can be found in states with historically large populations of German-American immigrants. Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, and South Carolina have the highest concentration of those with the last name.

In the 2010 United States census, the surname was ranked number 25,424th in frequency, with around 7,462 individuals in the United States having this last name.

Variations of the surname Creutzfeld

The surname Creutzfeld is the anglicized version of the German-origin surname "Krützfeld". There are many other spellings or variants of the surname including Kretzfeld, Kreutzfeld, Kreutzenfeld, Kraetzfeld, Krüzfeld, Kritsfeld and Krützfeldt. These surname spellings can differ according to regional dialects throughout Germany.

The related surnames Kretz, Kratz, Krets, Kreutz, Krats, Kretzmann, Kreutzer, Krützmann and Kraetz also stem from the same root as Creutzfeld. Those with the surname Creutzfeld are most likely of Prussian, Pomeranian, or Hessian origins.

Another variant of the surname is Kretzschmar which is a combination of the root Kruetz and the German word schmar meaning “cart,” possibly suggesting an ancestor was a cart-driver or wagon-maker. Kretsmar and Kritzmar are also variations of the same name.

As the name traveled abroad, it was variously spelled and pronounced in different countries. Creutzfeld is also commonly spelled as Kreutzfeldt. Different forms of the name can also be found outside of Germany, including Crutzfeld and Krutfeld in the United States, and Cretzfeld and Creitzfeld in Canada. All of these variations of the surname Creutzfeld have the same root and likely share the same ancestral origin.

Famous people with the name Creutzfeld

• Julius Friedrich Heinrich Creutzfeldt (1885-1964): German neuropathologist who first described the disease now known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).
• Jan Creutzfeldt (born 1946): German mathematician and computer scientist known for his work in the field of computer graphics.
• Christoph August Creutzfeldt (1768-1837): German physician and writer specialized in nephrology and known for developing the first theory of renal physiology.
• Philipp Wilhelm Albrecht Creutzfeldt (born 1978): German physicist known for his contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum information science.
• Gotthilf Creutzfeldt (1859-1936): German neurologist and psychiatrist, a pioneer of electroencephalography (EEG).
• Volker Creutzfeldt (born 1953): German psychiatrist and psychotherapist, known for his studies of psychoendocrine aspects of psychoses and depression.
• Jacob Cassebohm Creutzfeldt (1840-1929): German neurologist who first described "Schotzberg's syndrome" or Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome (CJD). He was also a pioneer in electroencephalography (EEG).
• Paul Creutzfeldt (1918-2004): German neurologist and neuroscientist known for his work on neurological diseases such as Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease.
• Hans-Jürgen Creutzfeldt (born 1938): German neurologist and psychiatrist, known for his studies of sleep and biological rhythms.

Other surnames

Creutzfeldt