Surname Völkerling - Meaning and Origin
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Völkerling: What does the surname Völkerling mean?
The last name Völkerling is a German occupational surname derived from the word "Völker," meaning "people." It is believed to have a literal meaning of "protector of the people" or "guardian of the people." The suffix "-ling" suggests that the bearer is of quite humble origin, suggesting that they may have been either small-scale farmers or guardians of the people.
The Völkerling family would likely have held some small but important role in their local community. This could have been anything from taking care of the people in their village to performing various functions for a larger government or estate. It is likely that this line was not highly influential, but respected for their ability to keep their local community in order.
The Völkerling family could have lived in a small town where everyone was respected for their contributions and capabilities. Their name likely brought with it a sense of honor and respect amongst those who knew them. As a small but important part of their local village, they likely maintained strong bonds with their neighbors, friends, and families for generations.
Today, Völkerling is still a popular, respected, and cherished last name in Germany and other countries that have German-speaking populations. This is possibly due to the positive attributes that it bears, which many people around the world find endearing and admirable.
Order DNA origin analysisVölkerling: Where does the name Völkerling come from?
The last name Völkerling is a German surname that is most commonly found in the state of Saxony in Eastern Germany near the border of the Czech Republic. Its variant spellings include, Voelkerling, Voelker, Völker and even Volkering.
The name Völkerling is derived from the German language and originate from the word ‘Völk’, meaning people or folk. This particular surname is likely to have derived from an area in Saxony called Volkerling. The first recorded instance of the surname Völkerling was around the year 1300 in the village of Kögellin, near the city of Dresden in what used to be East Germany.
The areas in and around Saxony were home to many German immigrants who spread to the United States and Brazil after World War I and World War II. Today, the surname Völkerling is still mostly concentrated near Saxony in Eastern Germany, but it is also found in other parts of the country such as North Rhine-Westphalia and the Ruhr valley as well as in parts of the United States, Canada and Brazil where Germanic immigrants settled.
The surname Völkerling is commonly associated with the Volkerling family of Hamburg, who supplied many well-known and celebrated literary figures in German culture. It is also believed to have been given to a handful of Czech immigrants who traveled to other countries around Europe to seek refuge from religious persecution.
Variations of the surname Völkerling
The surname Völkerling is a toponymic surname that originated in Northern Germany. It can be written in several other forms, such as Folkerling, Fölkerling, and Felkerling. Other variants of the name are Voelkerling, Foelkerling, and Feolkerling.
The surname is rarely found in England and Ireland today. However, in some parts of Scotland, the surname is found as Faulkener, and in the United States, the surname appears as Falkner.
The American variant of the surname is most likely derived from the German dialect form of the original Völkerling name, Falkerling. This is due to the common mispronunciation of the letter “ö” as “a” in America’s German-speaking communities.
In addition, the spelling variants between England and the United States are commonly due to the continued development of language since the 1800s and the effects of immigration on pronunciation.
Variations in spelling the surname can also occur due to its origin as a toponymic surname. Since this type of surname is based on a geographical origin, like a place, farm or region, the variations in spelling become more commonplace. For example, the Falkerling variant is not necessarily derived from the Völkerling surname, but could instead be derived from a place associated with the surname, such as Falklar, with the added suffix –erling.
Therefore, the same surname can appear with multiple spellings, either due to the continued development of language, the pronunciation of the name in different countries, or its origin as a toponymic surname.
Famous people with the name Völkerling
- Werner von Völkerling, German general officer
- Francisco Völkerling, Brazilian composer
- Ludwig Völkerling, German indigenous rights activist
- Ulrich von Völkerling, German military officer
- Kim Völkerling, German petroleum geologist
- Gerhard Völkerling, German sculptor
- Heinz Völkerlings, German artist
- Richard Völkerling, German author
- Marc Völkerling, German psychologist
- Dirk Völkerling, German graphic designer