Surname Fettkötter - Meaning and Origin
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Fettkötter: What does the surname Fettkötter mean?
The last name Fettkötter is of German origin. It is derived from the German words 'fett', which means 'fat' or 'grease', and 'kötter', which is a variant of the word 'kotten' which means 'cottage'.
The literal translation of the surname Fettkötter therefore is 'grease cottage', suggesting that the original bearer of the name likely was an inhabitant of a cottage, which is evidenced also by its association with the region of Germany known as Westfalen.
In its earlier form, the last name Fettkötter was recorded in the records of the Langenfeld monastery in Westfalen as Fettickotir in the year 1287. It is thought that the name may have been derived from an occupational name as Fettkötter may have been a nickname for a tenant living in a cottage who had the occupation of rendering fat or in other words, a soap maker.
Today, Fettkötter is a well-established last name, particularly in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany and South Dakota in the United States. Its modern-day bearers could still have origins in the soap-making trade as a number of Fettkötters are listed as soap makers in the late 19th century in the United States. In any case, the surname Fettkötter is a reminder of a distant past, as well as the hardworking individuals that made it through to present day.
Order DNA origin analysisFettkötter: Where does the name Fettkötter come from?
The last name Fettkötter is most commonly found today in Germany. Strongly concentrated in North Rhine Westphalia – a German state that borders The Netherlands and Belgium – this surname can be found primarily among families in the immediate vicinity of Dortmund, Bielefeld, Hamm, and Bielefeld, as well as several small towns around them.
Fettkötter is a German surname derived from the middle Low German terms "fette" or "fettet", which refer to a type of tar used to coat roofs and wooden posts for protection against rain and sun, as well as to waterproof substrates. In fact, it is often speculated that this surname was first used by families who worked in the tar manufacturing industry, and that their descendants still live in the same area today.
This surname is also found in small pockets of the United States, most frequently among individuals of German heritage. Some of these families can trace their roots back to Germany, while others simply adopted the last name in the 20th century, when the practice of adopting surnames became commonplace in the United States.
Despite its origins in Germany, the surname Fettkötter is found in various other countries today, including Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, and Austria. It is also spread throughout the United States, as well as other parts of the world.
Variations of the surname Fettkötter
The surname Fettkötter is derived from the Middle High German word fettkot meaning “fat animal dung” or “rich animal dung”. It likely originated as a nickname for one who worked with animals.
The surname Fettkötter has many variants, spellings, and surnames with the same origin. Variants of Fettkötter include Fetcoetter, Fetterkotter, Fettkoeetter, Fettkodder, Fettkoetter, and Fettkotter. Other spellings include Fett Kawer, FettKoehter, FettKoehler, and FettKotter. In other countries, the surname is written as Fettkötter.
The surnames based on the same origin as Fettkötter include Fettke, Fettkämper, Fettkamper, Fellkötter, Fettküper, Fettkamp, Fettkömmmerer, Fettkömper, Fettkecke, and Fettwöller.
Other variants of the surname include Folkette, Follykotter, Fotycoetter, Fotkoetter, Fottkoetter, and Fotketter. It is likely that other variants and spellings with similar pronunciations exist.
In addition, other surnames related to Fettkötter are Fettbeutel, Fettbaum, and Fetterolf. These surnames are derived from other German words and have different origins than that of Fettkötter.
In sum, there are many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Fettkötter. Each of these surnames has its own origin in Middle High German words.
Famous people with the name Fettkötter
- Julian Fettkötter: German footballer
- Marcel Fettkötter: German football player and coach
- Johannes Fettkötter: German politician
- Paul Fettkötter: German economist and professor
- Nicole Fettkötter: German figure skater and coach
- Bernhard Fettkötter: German physicist and professor
- Martin Fettkötter: German Thingmeister
- Anna Fettkötter: German writer and translator
- Heinrich Fettkötter: German architect and sculptor
- Johann Karl Fettkötter: German painter and illustrator