Surname Löhrs - Meaning and Origin
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Löhrs: What does the surname Löhrs mean?
The last name Löhrs is a German surname, derived from the Middle High German root “lor”, which refers to a person who lived near a hill or mountain, or who is a mountaineer. The -s suffix in the name is a patronym, which indicates the descendant of an individual, in this case, the family, that has held the name Löhr for several generations.
The earliest documented use of the name is found in 1150 when Konrad von Löhre appeared in a court record near Kassel, Germany. Since then, the name has spread throughout Germany and much of Europe, with recorded uses of Löhr appearing in countries such as The Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland.
Ancestors of the Löhrs family are believed to have come from the Rhineland and settled in the Altmark, a region of Brandenburg which is now part of Germany. Other regions where the family have been documented include the former Prussian duchies of Pomerania and Saxony as well as the historic region of Westphalia.
Today, the Löhrs name is still particularly common in Germany but has also spread to other countries around the world. People with the name can be found throughout North America, particularly in the United States, and South America, particularly in Brazil.
The Löhrs family is a proud and successful group who trace their long and storied history to the Middle High German root of loher meaning a mountaineer. As a testament to the family’s great success and strength, the name has been adopted by countless generations and is now found throughout the world.
Order DNA origin analysisLöhrs: Where does the name Löhrs come from?
The last name Löhrs is predominantly found in Germany and other German-speaking countries, such as Austria and Switzerland. Since the Middle Ages, the Löhrs family name has been common in the region of Rhineland in West Germany. Many immigration records from the 1800s also indicate that the Löhrs surname was fairly prevalent in the area at the time.
In modern-day Germany, the last name Löhrs is most strongly linked to the region of North Rhine-Westphalia. There, the Löhrs family name is common, especially around the cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Bonn. It is also relatively common in nearby Ruhr Valley as well as in the Eifel and Hessian regions.
The Löhrs surname is also featured in small concentrations elsewhere in Germany, such as more rural areas in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, which borders France. Additionally, the Löhrs surname is also found in Austria and Switzerland.
Today, the estimated population of German-speaking people with the Löhrs surname is relatively small. However, the family name continues to remain prevalent in the areas where it originated, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Variations of the surname Löhrs
The surname Löhrs is of German origin, and there are several variants and spellings of the name. The most common spelling of the name is Löhrs, although it can also be spelled Lohrs, Lehrs, Leers, Lehr, Lehrer, Löhr, and Lohers.
The surname Löhrs originally derived from the Middle High German word "löhre," which meant "pear tree" and would have been given as a nickname to someone who was associated with a pear tree.
Variant forms of the surname Löhrs include Löhr, Loher, Lohr, Lehrer, Lehrs, Leers, and Lehr. These variants exist because of the lack of standardized spelling practices during the medieval times in which many families adopted surnames.
Variants of the surname Löhrs may be found among versions of the name listed in the works from the 1600s, such as the German City Register, or the Bavarian fragments of Pfefferkorn's Nuremberg documentary.
Another form of variation is a shift in the spelling of the surname, such as when a spelling involved a "u". As a result, the surname listed as "Löhrs" could also be found in records as "Lohers."
Surnames related to Löhrs include Lehr, Löhr, Lohr, Lehrer, Lehrs, Leers, and Lohers. All of these surnames originated from the same source and simply underwent changes in the spelling due to the non-standardization of spelling at the time.
It is possible for the Löhrs surname to be found in other countries, since many German emigrees had the surname. Variants of the surname could be found in eastern Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Poland, and other regions where German immigrant families settled.
Famous people with the name Löhrs
- Michael Löhrs: German organist, harpsichordist, and music educator.
- Peter Löhrs: German politician, and member of the Free Democratic Party.
- Chris Lohrs: Canadian curler and Olympic athlete.
- Andreas Löhrs: German painter and draftsman, best known for his expressionist works.
- Helmut Löhrs: German architect and founder of the architecture bureau "Helmut Löhrs Architekten".
- Amelie Löhrs: German TV producer.
- Paul Löhrs: German jewelry designer, who has also been active as a film designer, set designer, and fashion designer.
- Ulrich Löhrs: German economist, former President of the European Central Bank.
- René Löhrs: German handball player, who most recently was part of the German national team.
- Johann Löhrs: German sculptor and civil servant, active in the principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
- Elke Löhrs: German journalist, essayist, writer, and media educator.