Surname Pfütz - Meaning and Origin
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Pfütz: What does the surname Pfütz mean?
The last name Pfütz is believed to be of German origin. It is derived from the Middle High German word "pfutz", which means a shallow puddle or pool. The surname may have originated as a nickname for someone who lived near a shallow pool or perhaps the name of an area settled near a puddle or pool of water.
In the seventeenth century, the Pfütz family occupied land near Liebental in the region of what is now the Czech Republic. The village of Pfuetzen was documented in 1230, and was home to the Pfutz family for centuries. It is believed that the family may have originated in the Middle Ages and arrived in the Liebental region around the year 1500 from the German region of Swabia.
Though the family may have originated in Germany, the spelling of the last name Pfütz is unique to Czechia and Slovakia and is related to the local dialects. This suggests that the family adopted the Czech spelling during its time in the country.
For centuries, the Pfütz family lived in Moravia and the surrounding regions, and many members of the family moved to other areas of Europe or the United States in search of a better life. In the United States, the last name Pfütz has been anglicized to “Putz.”
Today, the surname Pfütz is a reminder of the Pfütz family's story: of leaving their German homeland to settle in new lands and of the hard work and determination it took to build a new life across the seas.
Order DNA origin analysisPfütz: Where does the name Pfütz come from?
The last name Pfütz is primarily found in Germany today. Pfütz is a peculiar and uncommon surname in Germany, as it is only found among an emerging and relatively small population. Its origin likely dates back to the Middle Ages when German nobles used Pfütz as a family name. The name was then passed down through families in varying parts of Germany.
Various records indicate that the Pfütz family chiefly resided in southern German states, such as Bavaria, Thuringia, and Franconia. Other documents suggest that the majority of Pfütz families settled in the Rhine River valley. However, the Pfütz family spread to several other European countries. Some records show that families bearing the surname Pfütz migrated to South America, Australia, and the U.S.
Today, those bearing the name Pfütz continue to be largely concentrated in their ancestral homeland, Germany. Most of them remain in southern German states, though there are some instances in which they have settled in other parts of the country. Despite the relative obscurity of the name, there are still members of the Pfütz family living in and around the aforementioned regions.
Variations of the surname Pfütz
The surname Pfütz is derived from the Middle German term “pfutz” which referred to a low land or swampy area, used as a topographical surname. Variants of the surname in different languages include:
German: Pfuetz, Pfitze, Pfítze, Pfîtze, Pfǔtze
Dutch: Pfeutz
Polish: Pfuć
Czech: Pfuč
Hungarian: Pfucs
The name Pfütz is also found in many compound or double names, such as Harder-Pfuetz and Böhm-Pfuetz. In some areas, the name is also spelled Pfutç and the feminine version Pfuetzen is sometimes found as well.
The name is found in many variations and with different spellings depending on the particular language. Some variants found in Germany are Pfutze, Pfeutze, Pfuetze, Pfütze, and Pfietze, while variants in other parts of Europe are Pfuts, Pfutś, Pfutc, Pfuetś and Pfuetz.
Surnames with similar origins and meanings include:
German: Pfaff, Pfaffenbauer, Pfaffenmayer, Pfäfflin
Dutch: Pfaaff
Polish: Pafciński, Pfaff, Pfyffer
Czech: Pfaf
Hungarian: Pafka
Surnames with similar meanings include Latsch, Grossman, and Löffler which all mean swamp or wetland.
The surname Pfütz is also found in many states and regions across Europe, including Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and the United States.
Famous people with the name Pfütz
- Robert Pütz: German crime fiction author.
- Alfred Pütz: German sprinter and triple jumper, competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
- Julius Pütz: German athlete and Olympic winner in 1896.
- Viivi Pütz: German swimmer and Olympic medalist in 1976 and 1980.
- Mareike Pfütz: German table tennis player, competed in the 2000 Olympics.
- Dietrich Pütz: German author and short-story writer from Rhineland-Palatinate.
- Ernst Ingolf Pütz: German Roman Catholic theologian and professor of Dogmatics and Fundamental Theology at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
- Eckhard Pütz: German author and director, co-writer and director of the live action film “The Miracle Maker”.
- Ulla Pütz: German writer and co-writer of four episodes of the television series “Heimatklänge”.
- Hildegard Pütz: German wrestler, competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics.