Surname Zinsmeißter - Meaning and Origin
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Zinsmeißter: What does the surname Zinsmeißter mean?
The last name Zinsmeister is a German name and is derived from the German word “Zinsmeister”, which was an occupation title for an official responsible for collecting taxes. Specifically, this person was responsible for the collection of tithe, a tax on the proceeds from farms and vineyards. In addition to this practical role, Zinsmeister was also responsible for setting the taxes for the local area, which was determined by imperial law.
The name, Zinsmeister, is quite old, and the earliest known use of the name can be traced back to 1279, when the a man named Ulricus Zinsmeister was mentioned in a document citing taxes owed to the Teutonic Knights in Hesse. The name is also related to meaning "Master of tithe" and can be found in a wide variety of German records.
Today, the spelling of the surname is quite varied, with spellings such as Zinsmaister, Zinsmeister, Tinsmeister, Tupfner, and Zinsmeisterin, all of which indicate a common point of origin. While uncommon in the United States, the name Zinsmeister is still common in Germany today.
Order DNA origin analysisZinsmeißter: Where does the name Zinsmeißter come from?
The last name Zinsmeister is most commonly found in the German-speaking areas of Europe. In particular, the name is very popular in the Rhineland-Palatinate, the Saarland, and Bavaria. Other places in Germany where Zinsmeister is very common include Hesse, Berlin, Thuringia, and Nordrhein-Westfalen. Additionally, the name appears in smaller numbers in Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
As of the early 2000s, Zinsmeister was the 223rd most common German surname, only slightly more rare than Müller. The name is likely derived from the expressive German word Zinsmeister, which literally means “Master of Interest” and refers to a merchant who makes money through interest-bearing investments.
The name is also present in America, particularly in the 18th and early 19th centuries, when many immigrants of German origin arrived in the United States. The most recent waves of immigrants have seen a resurgence of the name in the US. As of 2019, there are an estimated 2,678 people in the US who have the last name Zinsmeister, suggesting that there’s a large number of people with German ancestry living in the country.
Overall, the last name Zinsmeister is most commonly found in German-speaking areas of Europe, where it remains a popular name. Smaller numbers are present in the US, as well as other countries in Europe, such as Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
Variations of the surname Zinsmeißter
The surname Zinsmeister is a German-derived family name. It is derived from the German word “Zinsmeister”, which means “master of tithe or taxes”. Variants of this surname are spelled Zinsmeister, Zinsmaister, Zinsmeester, Zinsmeistre, and Zinzmeister. Common surnames with the same origin include Zinz, Zinzmeister, Zinzmann, Zeinsmeister, Zeinsmaister, Zeinsmeester, Zeinsmeistre, and Zinzemeyer.
Variants of the surname Zinsmeister are most commonly found in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word “Zinsmestere”, which was an official title within the medieval court system in Germany. This title was used to designate individuals who were responsible for collecting, administering, and auditing taxes, as well as managing the church’s tithes.
The surname is commonly found in both German and English records, and many families have changed the spelling over the years. The anglicized form of the surname is often Zinz or Zenz, however, some families have anglicized the spelling to other variants such as Zinzmeyer or Zinzmann.
In the United States, individuals bearing the surname Zinsmeister were among the earliest German settlers. They immigrated to the country in the 18th and 19th centuries, and their descendants are today widely scattered throughout the United States. Variants of the surname Zinsmeister have been used by many generations of the same family, often with the spelling changing slightly from one generation to the next.
Famous people with the name Zinsmeißter
- Jean Zinsmeister: American actress
- Henry Zinsmeister: labor leader and science writer
- Christian Zinsmeister: former drummer of hard rock band Metallica
- Hermann Zinsmeister: German chemist
- David Zinsmeister: American journalist
- Ludwig Zinsmeister: German novelist
- Tristan Zinsmeister: basketball player
- Horace Zinsmeister: former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Victor Zinsmeister: Austrian record producer
- Matthias Zinsmeister: German sculptor