Surname Hentzgen - Meaning and Origin
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Hentzgen: What does the surname Hentzgen mean?
The last name Hentzgen is of German origin and has the meaning of “Hermit” or “Anchorite”. A hermit is an individual living in a solitary lifestyle, usually in a self-created environment with no contact with the outside world. An anchorite is a person who enters into religious seclusion, typically in a hermitage, to devote themselves to God and seek greater purity of life. It's thought that early Hentzgen families likely came from Germany and adopted this surname to hint at their spiritual lifestyle.
From a linguistic standpoint, Hentzgen is a Germanified form of the French 'Henthorn', which was derived from the Old Norse 'Hendthorn', a place name that literally means 'Hends settlement'. It is first found in southwestern Germany, specifically in Rheinland, where records show several members of the Hentzgen family in the 16th century, living and farming near Breisgau.
The Hentzgen surname is still found in Germany today, with many branches also located in the United States. Notable people sharing this surname include the American Jazz musician Art Hentzgen, born in Maine in 1920, and Peter Hentzgen, a late 19th-century sculptor and graphic artist.
Order DNA origin analysisHentzgen: Where does the name Hentzgen come from?
The surname Hentzgen is most commonly found today in Germany. The name is derived from German Southwest Central dialects, and it is most likely an occupational or locational name, which means it was once used to denote either a person's profession or where they lived.
In Germany, the name is particularly prominent in the private-sector communities of Dusseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, Homburg, and Mönchengladbach. As of the 2011 census in Germany, over 7,575 people shared the surname Hentzgen. As such, Hentzgen is the 20th most common German name today.
The name is also found in France and Brazil, as there have been some descendants of German immigrants who have remained in those countries. While the French language may have changed the spelling of this surname to 'Henzgen', it is still much rarer than in Germany.
Since it is a traditional German name, the Hentzgen surname is also found in Scotland, Ireland and other parts of Britain, particularly in cities with strong links to Germany, such as Liverpool.
In the United States, the surname is most prevalent in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa. This suggests that the name was brought over with German immigrants who settled in the Midwest. The name has since spread across the US, so it is quite common to find people with the surname Hentzgen anywhere in America.
Variations of the surname Hentzgen
Hentzgen is typically a German surname that is derived from the name Henzschen. Variations of this surname include Hensgen, Henzschen, Hendzgen, Hentsgen, Hentzen, and Heldzsch.
Hensgen is an alternative spelling of the German name and is derived from a short form of the name Heinz or Hendrick.
Henzschen is a German dialect or a local variant of the German name. Additionally, this variant usually refers to a smaller region around the city of Siegen, Germany.
Hendzgen is a rare spelling of the German name and is derived from a given name of Hendrik with the suffix “gen,” meaning “son of.”
Hentsgen is a variant of the German name Hentzgen and is derived from Henzschen.
Hentzen is a rare variant of the German name Hentzgen and is derived from a combination of the name Hendrick and the suffix “et,” meaning “son of.”
Heldzsch is a rare variant of the German surname Hentzgen and is derived from a combination of a given name Hendric and the suffix “sch,” meaning “little.”
Famous people with the name Hentzgen
- Markus Hentzgen: A German table tennis player who won multiple German National Championships in singles, doubles and mixed.
- Paul Hentzgen: An American novelist and poet best known for his works “Snow White and Other Tales of Wonder” and “Close Listeners”.
- Peter Hentzgen: A German concert pianist and teacher of music, best remembered for his performances of Beethoven's piano concertos with conductor Kurt Masur.
- Werner Hentzgen: A German handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics for West Germany.
- Joseph Hentzgen: An American politician who served in the New York State Senate from 1949 to 1966.
- Rebecca Hentzgen: An American health advocate and author of The Proactive Patient: Informed Health Choices and Opportunities.
- Walter Hentzgen: An Austrian-born German sculptor and graphic artist who was active in Munich.
- Richard Hentzgen: An American painter who specialized in abstract expressionism.
- Stephanie Hentzgen: An Austrian operatic soprano, best known for her roles as Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.
- Sandra Hentzgen: A German politician who was a Member of Parliament representing Saxony in the Bundestag from 1990 to 2009.