Surname Oppenrieder - Meaning and Origin
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Oppenrieder: What does the surname Oppenrieder mean?
The last name Oppenrieder is a German occupational surname. It is derived from a combination of the German words ‘offen’, meaning ‘open’, and ‘Rieder’, meaning a ‘barrier fence’, to form literal meaning of ‘a person who builds or maintains open fences or barriers’. In a figurative sense, the name is often associated with a person who was an expert in land division and improvement, or a person who was enabled to handle boundaries and boundaries of estates in court.
During medieval times, many individuals would take up a craft and the same trend continued with fencing, in particular, becoming an important part of the agricultural industry. Fences would often both divide land between owners and provide an enclosure around farms to protect herds of animals. This was, and still is, an important part of farmers’ lives and many individuals who were experts in this profession have given up Occupational last names such as Oppenrieder.
Today, Oppenrieder is carried by multiple families as a surname throughout Germany, primarily in the state of Bavaria. There are even some modern individuals who have variants of the name, such as the Oppenrieter family in America, which evolved from the original German Oppenrieder name.
Overall, Oppenrieder is a unique and traditional German surname that has been passed down through the generations to represent a connection to a craft that was highly valued throughout Germany’s agricultural history. It symbolizes an individual with expertise in fencing and boundaries, both literally and figuratively. The name has since been passed through the generations, even finding its way across the world, signifying a connection to a unique and important craft.
Order DNA origin analysisOppenrieder: Where does the name Oppenrieder come from?
The last name Oppenrieder is most commonly found in Germany, but is also present in the neighboring countries of Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. The surname originates from an old Germanic given name, “Ubbo”, which means “daring courage”. The suffix "rieder" is thought to have derived from the Germanic word "riut" meaning "ruler".
In Germany, Oppenrieder can be found in large numbers in the states of Lower Saxony, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia. Outside of Germany, the name is primarily found in Austria, although small numbers of Oppenrieders have been identified in Switzerland. Oppenrieder families have also been identified in the United States, but at much lower rates.
The Oppenrieder family has a rich history of success. For centuries, they have worked as courtiers, professors, and soldiers, and were involved in numerous political and military positions, with many of them acting as influential figures in their respective industries. Even today, many Oppenrieders hold prominent roles in their respective countries.
In modern times, Oppenrieder families can be found all over the world, with descendants found in countries as diverse as the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Israel. This family's legacy of success and of courage is continued in the modern day by the Oppenrieder families all over the world.
Variations of the surname Oppenrieder
The surname Oppenrieder is an occupational name from German, derived from a Middle High German term that meant "servant of a court." It is also spelled as Oppenrieder, Oppenreider, Oppenrader, Oppenraeder, Oppenröder and Oppenried, among many others.
The surname Oppenrieder originated in the 11th century in what is now Southern Germany. It is considered a patronymic surname as it was formed from the personal name of the father of the initial bearer. Oppenrieder is a name used by the royalty, nobility or aristocracy of the German language areas. The oldest recorded occurrences of the name Oppenrieder date to the mid-13th century, in the area of modern Bavaria.
The surname continued to spread throughout Europe, and people with the Oppenrieder surname could be found in countries such as present-day Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Italy, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Ukraine.
Immigrants bearing the surname Oppenrieder could be found in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
In the modern day, the Oppenrieder name has evolved into a number of variants, depending on the region in which the family resided. Some variants include Oppenrader, Oppenraeder, Oppenrieder, Oppenried, Oppenriedt, Oppenröder and Oppenroit. These different spellings of the surname may also be found in the records of the past centuries.
Famous people with the name Oppenrieder
- SSgt Michael Oppenrieder (1952–1975), United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient
- Margaret Oppenrieder (1947–present), American author and mystery writer
- Ernest Oppenrieder (1946–present), German writer, photographer and filmmaker
- Gerald Oppenrieder (born 1967), German football manager
- Pia Oppenrieder (born 1949), German alpine skier and Olympic bronze medalist
- Franz Xaver Oppenrieder (1879–1956), German Roman Catholic bishop
- Johann Oppenrieder (1809–1879), German botanist and entomologist
- Rolf Oppenrieder (born 1946), German artist
- Klaus-Dieter Oppenrieder (born 1953), German actor
- Daniel Oppenrieder (born 1967), American writer, attorney, and political strategist