Surname Kießwetter - Meaning and Origin
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Kießwetter: What does the surname Kießwetter mean?
The last name Kießwetter is a German name meaning 'spoonful of weather'. It is derived from the Old German compound 'kieß' (spoonful) and 'wetter' (weather). The name could either refer to someone who worked in meteorology, someone who brought good or bad luck depending on the weather, or simply someone born or residing near a weather-sensitive area.
Kießwetter is quite an old surname and has been associated with many notable figures such as Old Saxon King Lothar Kießwetter and Austrian philosopher, writer and Nobel Laureate, Bertha Kießwetter. In modern times, it remains a popular surname in Germany but also is known in other German-speaking countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
In medieval times, Kießwetter was a common professional name for people who worked in meteorology and could foretell weather conditions in order to provide advice to farmers. For example, in 1398, Konrad Kießwetter was appointed as the court meteorologist at the Costorpmühlen Palace in Saxony. This position was very important as it provided assistance to farmers for planning their harvests in order to maximize yield.
In today's society, the Kießwetter surname continues to represent a weather-related profession. Although German Meteorological Institute is the primary source for official weather forecasting, some Kießwetter family members still specialize in meteorology, offering amateur forecasts and weather services.
Order DNA origin analysisKießwetter: Where does the name Kießwetter come from?
Kießwetter is a German-language surname, derived from a river or stream of the same name. Today, the name is most likely to be found in southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The earliest recorded uses of the name come from the fifteenth century, though the modern variant of the word - Kießwetter - did not become popular until the early twentieth century.
In terms of numbers today, the surname is not particularly common. According to the 2020 Social Security Administration rankings for the most common surnames in the United States, Kießwetter appears only in extremely small numbers.
In Germany however, the name has enjoyed a considerably greater amount of popularity. According to a 2010 federal census, the name Kießwetter was the 250th most common surname in the country, with a total of 6,509 people registered by that name. Additionally, the name has been found to be especially popular in Baden-Württemberg, where nearly half of all recorded occurrences of the name in the country can be found.
Though the origins of the name are uncertain, there are several theories that are often proposed. These include the derived surname possibly being derived from a Swiss climax river from the canton of Ticino, which is now known as the Tamina, or coming from preexisting Jewish oriental origin with influence from Hebrew. Ultimately, the origin of the distinctive surname is unknown and likely to remain so, but it remains a feature of German-speaking communities to this day.
Variations of the surname Kießwetter
Kießwetter is a German surname derived from the topographic name for someone who lived by a body of water. It is believed to be descended from the Middle High German word keweswasser, meaning "bog water." Variants of the surname Kießwetter include Kieß, Kießwetter, Kießwetters, Kießwettert, Keß, Kes, Keswetter, Keßwetter, Keßwettert, Kess, Kesswetter, Kesswettert and Kesswetters.
Keß and Kes are shortened forms of Kießwetter; the w is replaced with an s and the double s is typically spelled with a special letter ß in German to represent both letters. There are also some variants that change the ending of the word to -wettert, -wetter, -wettert or -wetters.
In the United States, the spellings of the name are often changed, such as Kesswetter, Keßwetter, Kiesowetter, Kießwetters, Kießwetter or Kieß. For example, immigrants who were traveling by ship to the United States may had accidentally changed the spelling of the surname due to an incorrect assessment of the name in a ship manifest record.
Kießwetter can be found in other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. Here, the spelling of the surname can sometimes be changed to Keeswetter, Kesswetter, Keyswetter, Kießwetters, Kießwettert or Keßwetter.
Regardless of the spelling or variant, the meaning of the surname remains the same and is useful for determining the origin of a specific family. All Kießwetter name variants share the same origin, and the same coat of arms.
Famous people with the name Kießwetter
- Anne Kießwetter: German swimmer, competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
- Bastian Kießwetter: German football player, plays for SC Freiburg.
- Bernd Kießwetter: German banker, current CFO of Lanxess.
- Charly Kießwetter: German comedian, appeared on multiple TV shows.
- Eva Kießwetter: German water polo player, captain of the German Women's National Water Polo Team.
- Fritz Kießwetter: German philosopher and theologian, wrote "Jesus of Nazareth".
- Gunnar Kießwetter: German wrestler, competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
- Henry Kießwetter: German painter, known for his impressionist landscapes.
- Marianne Kießwetter: German artist, known for her still life and portrait paintings.
- Michael Kießwetter: German footballer, played for Bayern Munich.
- Simone Kießwetter: German sculptor, specializes in figurative sculptures.
- Ursula Kießwetter: German writer and editor, wrote "Mother to Mother".