Surname Kügelgen - Meaning and Origin
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Kügelgen: What does the surname Kügelgen mean?
The last name Kügelgen is derived from the German word “Kugel” which means “sphere” or “globe.” It is a patronymic surname, meaning it is derived from the name of a father or ancestor, and was popularized as a family name in Germany from the late 1700s. The translation of Kügelgen is roughly translated to “son/descendant of the globe.”
It is believed that the original bearer of the surname Kügelgen was a man named Hartmut Kügelgen, who was born in the early 1700s in Söhrewald, Germany. Hartmut was the first of the Kügelgen family, and he gave birth to a number of children who would then become the founding members of the Kügelgen family.
The Kügelgen family was a prominent one in the late 1700s and early 1800s in Germany. They were well-known landowners and were wealthy enough to build grand homes and employ servants to manage their estate. Many of the Kügelgens were also politicians and highly educated individuals during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In modern-day Germany, the surname Kügelgen is still present and is still being used in some areas of the country. There are still some descendants of Hartmut Kügelgen living in Germany today, although their numbers are dwindling as the years go by. The legacy of the Kügelgen family will likely live on for many more years to come.
Order DNA origin analysisKügelgen: Where does the name Kügelgen come from?
The last name Kügelgen is a German surname, and is still fairly common today in Germany. It is especially prevalent in the German states of Brandenburg, Saxony, and Bavaria, though there is also a sizable population of people with this surname living in Berlin. The name Kügelgen is derived from the Middle High German kügelinc, which, when taken literally, refers to a small urban dwelling. Historically, the name is thought to have been derived from people who lived in such dwellings, or who worked as messengers or couriers.
Today, Kügelgen is still a fairly popular surname in the city of Berlin, in Saxony-Anhalt, and in Thuringia. There is also a sizable population of people with this last name living in other parts of Germany, including in Hamburg, in Baden-Württemberg, and in Berlin. Additionally, there are also populations with this surname in parts of Switzerland, Austria, and the United States, due to the large numbers of German immigrants that have settled there since the 1800s.
Kügelgen is often combined with other German last names, such as Mueller or Schmid, to indicate a more specific geographic origin. It is also commonly combined with other surnames to indicate family connections or lineages. For example, two common surnames—Kügelgen-Mueller and Kügelgen-Schmidt—are believed to have originated from the same family.
The surname Kügelgen is still commonly found today across various parts of the German-speaking world, representing a link to the past and an ongoing cultural legacy.
Variations of the surname Kügelgen
The surname Kügelgen is originally of German origin and is an occupational surname meaning 'baker'. Over time, the surname has been adapted to a variety of spellings as families have moved across countries and continents.
Kügelgen is the original spelling and is also known under the variant spellings Keugelgen, Kuegelgen, Kugelgen, Kügelgen, Kügle, Kögelgen, Kögle or Kögler. Other variant spellings are Kioegelgen, Kyogelgen and Koogelgen.
Prominent bearers of the Kügelgen surname include Johann Karl Wilhelm Kügelgen (1772–1820), a German war artist, scientist and painter; and Georg Friedrich Kügelgen (1772–1832), a German landscape painter.
In North America, many descendants of German families who bore the Kügelgen surname have anglicized the name to Kugler, Kuglich, Kegler and Kyger.
In Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, many variants of the Kügelgen surname developed, including Kögle, Kögler, Kugel and Kuglich.
In Britain, the Kügelgen surname is sometimes written as Kugel, Kugelgen, Kugle or Kügel.
In Italy, descendants of the Kügelgen surname anglicized their names to Gusto, Guglia or Guglielmo.
Finally, in Portugal, Kügelgen became Kugel or Quagel.
Overall, there are a number of diverse spellings and variants for the surname Kügelgen, stemming from its Germanic origins. The spelling has adapted over time as people adopted surnames to fit local language conventions or perceived more 'traditional' versions of their surnames to better fit in to their new homeland.
Famous people with the name Kügelgen
- Wilhelm von Kügelgen (1772–1832): a German painter associated with the Nazarene movement of early 19th century German Romanticism.
- Franz Kügelgen (1772–1832): an academic and court society painter from Prussia.
- Carl Kügelgen (1772–1842): a Prussian artist and collector of porcelain, painting, and sculptures.
- Carl August Kügelgen (1794–1866): a German physician, Egyptologist, geologist, antiquarian, and naturalist.
- Andreas Kügelgen (1793–1862): a German writer, philosopher, and composer.
- Hermann Kügelgen (1795–1869): a German painter and portraitist.
- Gustav Kügelgen (1798–1869): a German landscape and genre painter.
- Carl Ferdinand Kügelgen (1802–1867): a German Romantic genre and landscape painter.
- Wilhelm Kügelgen (1802–1867): a German architect and copperplate engraver
- Johanna Kügelgen (1810–1895): a German composer known for her church music, motets, and cantatas.