Surname Hoexter - Meaning and Origin
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Hoexter: What does the surname Hoexter mean?
The last name Hoexter is of German origin. It is an occupational name, derived from the Middle High German word "hoechster", meaning the highest or superior. This name was likely given as an occupational title to someone who held a superior position or title in a community or other institution. This could include a mayor or judge, amongst other positions that had a certain level of authority or prestige.
Hoexter is an example of a topographic last name, meaning it was derived from a particular geographical area or feature. It is likely that this name refers to someone from HigherEnte, a small village in the former county of Wolmerstedt in what is now Lower Saxony, Germany. It is not known when the name first appeared in this region, but records from 1263 refer to it.
As an occupational surname, the Hoexter's were likely a family tied to authorities or positions in the community, and the name was likely borne to honor the achievements of the family's ancestor. This could mean that the family had titles or served important positions in the past, which would be remembered by the name Hoexter.
Order DNA origin analysisHoexter: Where does the name Hoexter come from?
The last name Hoexter is most commonly found in Germany today. It was likely of Germanic origin, first appearing in records in the later Middle Ages, around the 15th century. There are references to the Hoexter surname in all of the present-day German states. This name was especially prevalent in the northern and western German provinces, particularly in Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.
In the 19th century, the ancestors of those bearing the Hoexter surname began to emigrate abroad. While the greatest concentration of those with the Hoexter name is still found in Germany, it can also be found in the United States, Canada, Brazil, South Africa and Australia.
Today, Hoexter is uncommon but it still remains a popular surname in many parts of the world. Whether you are of Germanic or international descent, this is a surname with an interesting history and many people take pride in sharing it.
Variations of the surname Hoexter
The surname Hoexter is derived from Germanic elements and has various regional spellings, variants, and surnames of the same origin, including Hoexer, Haexer, Hoetter, Hoetter, Heyxer, and Heister.
Hoexter is one of the oldest documented German surnames. It first appeared in Old German documents of the 11th century, and is likely to be derived from a place-name. The element hoe- is an old Germanic compound meaning "high" or "above," while -xter is an ending usually found in place names, deriving from the Latin word for "fence" or "enclosure." Thus, the literal meaning of the surname Hoexter is something like "above the fence" or "above the enclosure."
The earliest documents of the surname Hoexter are found mainly in the German towns of Hoxter and Detmold, located in the Lower Rhine region. This suggests that the surname may have been derived from the local place-name.
Variants of the surname Hoexter are found across other parts of the German-speaking world. For example, in southern Germany, variants like Heyxer or Heister are more common than the original spelling. In Austria, the surname is usually spelled Haexer. In East Prussia, Hoetter is the prevalent form. For families located in the Netherlands, Hoexer is the usual spelling.
No matter the spelling, the German surnames Hoexer, Haexer, Hoetter, Heyxer, Heister, and Hoexer all trace back to the same origin.
Famous people with the name Hoexter
- Katja Hoehne, German journalist, writer, and television presenter
- Eugene Hoehne, an American classical music composer
- Jürgen Höxter, a former East German footballer
- Björn Höxter, a German-Swedish actor
- Kaspar Höxter, a member of The Muppets and a Swedish singer-songwriter
- Manuel Hoehne, a German footballer
- Matthias Höxter, an Austrian sculptor
- Christoph Höxter, a German classical violinist
- Max Höxter, a German author, artist, and professor
- Wilfried Höxter, a German painter and sculptor