Surname Hügl - Meaning and Origin

Hügl: What does the surname Hügl mean?

The last name Hügl is of German origin and is a name that has been traditionally found throughout the German speaking regions of Central Europe. The literal translation of the name Hügl is "hill or mound" and is believed to have originally been an occupational name for people who worked with hills or mounds such as those used for fortifications, agricultural terracing, roads, and other earthworks. Over the centuries, the name has evolved to include many variations, including Huegel, Huegle, Högle, and Högel.

The first recorded occurrence of the Hügl last name dates back to 1355 when a man identified as Albrecht Vom Hügel is mentioned in the records of a minor estate in Germany. It is believed that he was a farmer or a landowner who owned or managed a hill or mound in the area. After this early reference, the name appears regularly throughout the records of German speaking countries from the 17th through the 19th Centuries.

The Hügl surname can provide an insight into the historical movements and habits of people by its migration from one part of Germany to another. This is especially true when its variations are taken into consideration as the name has been known to take on new and different forms in each new area.

Those bearing the Hügl last name today are still found in German speaking countries, although many also exist in other countries around the world. Those people who are of German descent and whose relatives originated from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or one of the other German speaking countries may very well still be addressed by the name Hügl.

Hügl: Where does the name Hügl come from?

The last name Hügl is common mostly in German-speaking countries today, particularly in Austria and Germany. According to a 2019 genealogy report, the most common place to find the surname is in Austria, with between 28.3-37.2 occurrences per million people. Germany is the second-most common location, with between 0.8-2 occurrences per million people. The surname is also present in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, and the Czech Republic, but at a much lower rate than Austria and Germany.

Beyond the German-speaking world, Hügl has been found in a handful of other countries with notable German emigration. For example, between 2-12 occurrences per million people in the United States, 1-2 occurrences per million in Canada, and 0.5-2 occurrences per million in Australia.

The origin of the surname Hügl is most likely derived from a shortened form of the personal name Hugo, which was most popular in the High Middle Ages. It's speculated that the first-known bearer of the name lived in Bavaria in the 13th century. Thus, it's not surprising that the surname is most commonly found in countries with Germanic roots.

Variations of the surname Hügl

The surname Hügl is a German-language variant of the name Hugg, which is derived from the Middle English name Hugge. The German spelling of the name Hügl is also sometimes seen as Huegl.

Other variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for Hügl include Hugg, Huegel, Haugel, Hougel, Haigle, Hagel, Hiegl, Hiegel, Hiegel, Hiugel, Hubel, Hangl, and Heigl.

The Hugg, Hagel, and Hangl variants are found in northwestern Germany, while the Hügl spelling is found mainly in Bavaria and Austria. Heigl is found mostly in southwestern Germany. However, all of the variations of the surname can be found in the German-speaking countries, as well as in East European countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Romania.

Other variants and spellings of the surname can also be found among German-Americans who have either changed their surname to conform with American spelling conventions or, in some cases, reverted back to their original German form of the surname.

In addition, the family name might also be spelled differently due to the different spelling conventions used in different parts of Germany. For example, the name Hügl might be spelled Högl in Bavaria, Heigl in Baden-Württemberg, and Hügel in Austria.

The surname Hügl is found in the genealogical records spanning centuries, and many of the modern-day spellings of the name have been derived from historical sources. Regardless of the spelling, all versions of the surname have a common origin and share a common history.

Famous people with the name Hügl

• Biz Markie (Marcus Hügl)
• Maria Magdalena Hügl (Austrian ski jumping pioneer)
• Heinz Hügl (German industrialist and entrepreneur)
• Hans Hügl (Austrian film composer)
• Robert Hügl (German football forward)
• Alberta Hügl (Austrian beauty pageant title holder)
• Manfred Hügl (German born Mexican actor and director)
• Werner Hügl (German football player/manager)
• Ingo Hügl (Austrian Paralympic Alpine Skier)
• Johannes Hügl (Austrian professional triathlete)
• Kurt Hügl (Austrian general and President of the German Technische Hochschule Wien)
• Marika Hügl (German operatic mezzo-soprano)
• Erich Hügl (Austrian footballer and manager)
• Leonie Hügl (German swimmer and silver medalist at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships)
• Johannes Hügl (Austrian set designer and cable car engineer)
• Johann Georg Hügl (Austrian composer and conductor)
• Laszlo Hügl (Hungarian teacher and chess master)
• Leopold Hügl (Austrian operatic tenor)
• June Hügl (German former race car driver)
• Arthur Hügl (Austrian Olympic bobsledder)

Other surnames

HugleHügleHügliHüglinHügly