Surname Ohtmer - Meaning and Origin
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Ohtmer: What does the surname Ohtmer mean?
The last name Ohtmer is thought to have originated in Germany, and is believed to be related to the title "Ohtmann," which is a historical title given to a high ranking official of a council, such as the Mayor of a village or town. The name can be found in several different spellings such as Ohtmann, Ohtman, Ohtmer, and Othmer.
The name is derived from two combined words, "aht" and "mann," which respectively mean "eight" and "man." This origin implies that at one point, an ancestor of the Ohtmer family was likely the leader of a council of eight. This was likely associated with some type of a court or tribunal.
The Ohtmer name is thought to have emerged as early as the 12th century. It can be found in records from that era as a reference to German court officials and jurists. The name has also become quite widespread and can be found in other countries, including The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland.
The name has also been found to have variations in spelling such as "Ohm" and "Othmer." It is also believed to have been adapted from various spellings by immigrants who settled in new countries, which likely led to the diversity of spellings found today.
In summary, the last name Ohtmer is thought to have originated in Germany in the 12th century and is derived from the combination of two words meaning "eight" and "men." It was likely associated with an ancestor of the family who was the leader of a court or tribunal. The name has since become quite widespread and can be found in numerous countries, with variations in its spelling.
Order DNA origin analysisOhtmer: Where does the name Ohtmer come from?
The last name Ohtmer is believed to be of German origin. As of 2021, the majority of people with the last name Ohtmer still reside in Germany, where it is one of the more common names. According to recent studies, the most common regions where the surname Ohtmer is found are North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Bavaria.
Outside of Germany, the surname is also fairly common in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. In the United States, most of the people with the last name Ohtmer are scattered around various states such as Wisconsin, New York, and Ohio. In Canada, the provinces with the highest concentration of the name are Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec. Similarly, in Australia the surname Ohtmer is primarily found in New South Wales and Victoria.
Besides the Core-Germanic regions in Europe, another place where the name Ohtmer can be found is Chile. It has been said that during the period of German emigration to Latin America in the 19th century, some of the first Ohtmers made their home in Chile and other parts of South America.
Altogether, the surname Ohtmer has a deep reach across much of the world, steadily gaining in popularity even today. In recent years, the name has popped up in places such as Mongolia and East Africa. Though it stays more widely known in its home country of Germany, the Ohtmer name can be found carrying on through several countries and generations.
Variations of the surname Ohtmer
The surname Ohtmer, also spelled Ötmer, is of German origin and is most commonly found in Germany itself. It is also common amongst German-speaking populations in countries around the world, such as Canada, the United States, and Australia.
The name is derived from the Middle High German term "Ohtemer," which was originally used to describe someone who was poor and destitute. Here, the combination of the prefix "Oht" (which roughly translates to "poor" in English) and the suffix "-er" (meaning "person") form the name.
This name may be alternatively spelled Oethmer, Oetmer, Oedmer, Oetmair, Oedmair, Otmair, Oedmayer, Ötmer, Otmer, Otmar, Gotmar, Gotmer, or Gotmayer. It is also found in slightly different forms with the addition of other suffixes, such as the Austrian Öthmer(-er) and Swedish Ötmang. These are all derived from the same name, and the variations reflect changes in dialect between different German-speaking countries.
The surname could also refer to someone who comes from a place called Ohtmer, which is a small village in Brandenburg, Germany.
The surname Ohtmer is also found in Hungary, where it is pronounced "Otmer." The surnames Otmar and Otman are derived from this spelling and are found in many Eastern-European countries such as Croatia and Serbia.
In the United Kingdom, the surname can also be spelled Ohtmar. In France, the surname is spelled "Opdmer" and is usually found in the Lorraine and Alsace regions.
Overall, the surname Ohtmer has numerous variations, spellings, and surnames of the same origin all around the world. From its German roots, the surname has traveled and taken on various forms in many countries and cultures, while still managing to hold onto its original meaning.
Famous people with the name Ohtmer
- Fritz Ohtmer: famous German actor, best known for playing the roles of assistants in a number of films.
- Jens Ohtmer: also known as Jens Ohtmer the Elder, famous German Baroque painter.
- Lothar Ohtmer: also known as Lothar Ohtmer the Elder, another famous German Baroque painter.
- Karl Ohtmer: German Renaissance painter, best known for his religious works and portraits.
- Richard Ohtmer: German philologist who specialized in Romance philology and Neo-Latin literature.
- Paul Ohtmer: German astronomer, best known for his work on the origin and evolution of cometary dust.
- Christian Ohtmer: German photographer and documentary filmmaker, known for his photography of German society.
- Georg Ehrenfried Ohtmer: German protestant clergyman who was active in the Congregational Church in Germany.
- Uwe Ohtmer: German film director and screenwriter, best known for his work on the film adaptation of the novel “Das Leben der Anderen”.
- Richard Ohtmer the Younger: German painter and printmaker active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.