Surname Zehnacker - Meaning and Origin
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Zehnacker: What does the surname Zehnacker mean?
The last name Zehnacker is of German origin and means “ten acres.” It is typically used as a topographic or locative name to describe someone who was originally from a place with ten acres of land, such as a farm. This type of name was common throughout the German-speaking regions.
The earliest written records of the Zehnacker family date back to 1030, located in the Rhine Palatinate region of Germany. Members of the family were recorded as vassals of a local noble family in the area. In the later 12th and 13th centuries, the family became quite influential; they were powerful landholders and city councillors in several towns.
At the end of the 16th century, the Zehnacker family was involved in the Thirty Years War, fighting on the side of the Catholics against the Protestant forces. After the war several members emigrated to the United States, where the surname was anglicized to Tanner. They moved to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and California in the mid-1800s.
Today, descendants of the Zehnacker family can be found in many countries around the world, including the United States, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They are part of a proud and diverse lineage that traces its roots back to the medieval era.
Order DNA origin analysisZehnacker: Where does the name Zehnacker come from?
The last name Zehnacker is a German name that is most commonly found in Germany and Austria. It is also found in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and in other European countries such as France, Netherlands, and Switzerland.
The Zehnacker surname originated in the area of Hesse-Homburg located in southern Germany. This region was widely populated by German settlers during the Middle Ages and is the birthplace of many common German surnames. The Zehnacker surname is believed to have been derived from the German phrase zein acker, which literally means "field of oats."
Today, the Zehnacker surname is quite rare. In Germany, it is estimated that fewer than 1,500 people carry the last name. However, there are still communities of Zehnackers living in the same region where the surname originated in Hesse-Homburg. In the United States, it is believed that there are fewer than 500 people with the last name Zehnacker, though this is not an exact figure.
The Zehnacker surname is still being passed down through generations of the same family today, even though it is not very common. So while it is not as widespread as some other German surnames, there are still families who carry on the tradition of the Zehnacker name.
Variations of the surname Zehnacker
The surname Zehnacker has several variants, spellings and surnames that stem from the same origin. These variants include: Zahnacker, Tahnacker, Sehnacker, Zemacker, Zienacher, Senacher, Zannaker, Zinacher, Saenacker, Senacher, Senacker, Tannacher, Zennaker, Ziemacher, Zimacker, and Tiemacher.
The surname Zahnacker is the most common spelling and originated in the area of Germany known as Palatinate. The literal translation of Zahnacker in German means, “a person from the small village of Zahn, located near the city of Pirmasens in the Palatinate region.”
The Zahnacker spelling originated in the 16thcentury and has since evolved to include several different variants. Other common variants of the Zahnacker surname include Sehnacker and Tahnacker. These variant spellings are more common in the part of Germany known as Bavaria.
The variants Zannaker, Zinacher and Zienacher are more common in the region of Southern Germany, particularly in the states of Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. While the spelling Senacher is more likely to be found in the Lower Rhine Valley of Germany. The spellings Senacker and Saenacker are also popular in the same area.
Lastly, the variant spellings Ziemacher, Zimacker and Tiemacher are more common in the western region of Germany and Switzerland where they have been used since the 18th century.
No matter the variant spelling, the Zahnacker surname has its roots in Germany. Today, the Zahnacker surname is found throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world.
Famous people with the name Zehnacker
- Lou Zehnacker: American football coach
- Stefan Zehnacker: French tennis player
- Athos Zehnacker: French racecar driver
- Bernard Zehnacker: French music composer
- Larry Zehnacker: American watercolor artist
- Edouard Zehnacker: French abstract painter
- Charles Zehnacker: German mathematician
- Erwin Zehnacker: French fashion designer
- Philipp Zehnacker: German writer/journalist
- Stephen Zehnacker: American neurosurgeon
- François Zehnacker: French cat burglar
- Michael Zehnacker: Dutch Olympic canoeist
- Julius Zehnacker: German physicist
- Jochen Zehnacker: German professor of physics
- Matthieu Zehnacker: French actor
- Eva Zehnacker: Austrian cross-country skier
- Adelheid Zehnacker: German alpine skier
- Arthur Zehnacker: Belgian music professor
- Achim Zehnacker: German business consultant
- Sonja Zehnacker: Austrian cyclist