Surname Oberndorfer - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'O'
Oberndorfer: What does the surname Oberndorfer mean?
The last name Oberndorfer is of German origin, and it comes from a New High German term that means “from or near Oberndorf”. Oberndorf is the name of a village in Germany, and it derives from the Old High German term “ofen-thorf” which means “oven-settlement”, with the reference to an oven in a village.
The first recorded instance of the name Oberndorfer was from a man named Heinrich Oberndorfer, who was a tax collector from a town near Nürnberg in 1420. The name was also mentioned in other records in Bavaria, and also became common in Austria. By the 19th century, many of the Oberndorfers had migrated to the United States due to circumstances like advancement of technology or political upheavals.
The name Oberndorfer has since then spread across the globe and is found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and many more. It is a popular name with an old history and is still closely related to the village of Oberndorf in Germany. This makes it an interesting last name to trace. Those with this surname can rest assured that it offers them a rich and proud history, with roots to a long standing and established village in Germany.
Order DNA origin analysisOberndorfer: Where does the name Oberndorfer come from?
The last name Oberndorfer is most commonly found today in Germany and Austria. It is thought to have originated in the Rhineland Palatine region of Germany, and was likely one of the first names to have been adopted when hereditary surnames began to come into common use in Germany in the 13th century.
The Library of Congress's website recorded a total of 62 people with the surname in the United States as of 2010. There have been members of the Oberndorfer surname who have immigrated to the United States over the years, particularly those of German and Austrian descent. The name is also found in smaller numbers in Canada, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
In Germany, Oberndorfer remains a fairly common name. It is found mostly in the southern regions of Germany that border Austria, including Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg. As of 2019, it ranks 261st in popularity among surnames in Germany.
Many of the people with the name Oberndorfer today can trace their ancestry back to the original Oberndorfers in the Rhineland Palatine region of Germany. It is likely that all these people are still connected in some way, with their family ties stretching all the way back to the 13th century.
Variations of the surname Oberndorfer
The surname Oberndorfer has a few variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These include the following: Oberndorf, Oberdorfer, Oberdorffer, Oberdörfer, Oberd rfer and Oberndörfer.
Oberndorfer is a German name derived from the Old High German words "odal," meaning "hereditary land possession” or "estate," and "dorf," meaning "village." This suggests that Oberndorfer was an occupational name for a person who managed or lived on a hereditary estate.
This surname has a wide-spread distribution due to migration in Europe and from emigration from Europe to places such as the United States, Australia, and Canada. The variant spellings of Oberndorfer are likely due to differing regional pronunciations, as well as a result of the process of anglicization or other language-specific changes which occur with the adaptation of surnames.
Variants of the surname Oberndorfer include Oberdörfer, Oberd rfer and Oberndörfer. These variations are mostly seen in northern Germany, as the spelling changes are depending on the region where the surname originated.
The variant surname Oberdorfer is more common in central and southern Germany, as the ending of the name changed due to a process of name simplification. The surname Oberdorffer is also encountered occasionally, which is a diminutive version of the name indicating a father-son relationship, such as a son of an Oberdorfer.
Therefore, there are multiple variants, spellings and surnames which originate from the same source, making the history of the surname Oberndorfer diverse and interesting.
Famous people with the name Oberndorfer
- Ernst Oberndorfer (1891–1973): Austrian singer, composer, conductor and musicologist
- Karl Oberndorfer (1903–1968): Austrian writer and translator
- Johann Oberndorfer (1843–1907): Austrian landscape painter
- Andreas Oberndorfer (1884–1978): Austrian Catholic priest, theologian, and church historian
- Anton Oberndorfer (1814–1887): Austrian actor and director
- Alexander Oberndorfer (1859–1920): Austrian landscape painter and illustrator
- Karl Gerhard Oberndorfer (1890–1970): Austrian Nazi Party official
- Matthias Oberndorfer (1570–1639): German brewer
- Wilhelmine Oberndorfer-Schwebel (1885–1972): Austrian portrait painter
- Hans Oberndorfer (1881–1964): Austrian botanist