Surname Doelfel - Meaning and Origin
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Doelfel: What does the surname Doelfel mean?
The last name Doelfel is a family name that is of German and Swiss origin. It is derived from the word "Doelf," which means "falcon." The original spelling of the name comes from the fact that the Doelfel family originated in the area of Switzerland, which is famous for its abundance of birds of prey, including falcons.
The Doelfel name is found mostly in Germany and Switzerland. It has many variations, including Doelfall and Doelfell, and is most commonly spelled Doelfel. This name is often seen in records during the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating the family had been established for some time.
The original meaning of the name is unknown but it may have originally been derived from the German word "Doef," which means hunt or catch, and "el," meaning eye. It might also have been based on the word "Doelf," which is another word for falcon.
Today, the Doelfel family is most common in Switzerland and Germany. It is also likely that other families from those areas may have adopted the name due to its distinct sound. The Doelfel family may have even been adopted by immigrants coming to other countries, as it is a fairly common family name in the United States and Canada.
Order DNA origin analysisDoelfel: Where does the name Doelfel come from?
The last name Doelfel is found predominantly in the German speaking countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. There is also a small sprinkling of individuals bearing the Doelfel name throughout the U.S. and Canada, most likely descendants of German emigrants.
The majority of the Doelfel family in Germany are concentrated in the states of Brandenburg, Thuringen and Sachsen, as well as throughout Bavaria. The Doelfel name is also found throughout Austria, especially the Lande or states of Steiermark, Oberosterreich, and Niederosterreich. In Switzerland, are a few hundred Doelfel families.
Immigration records list Steinbach, Bavaria, as the hometown of many Doelfel individuals, some emigrating to the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. Records also show that many Doelfels used the port of Hamburg, Germany in the late 1800s and early 1900s to journey to the United States.
It is impossible to trace the lineage of these families without more specific records, however, some Doelfel families have been traced back as far as the 1400s in Germany. It is likely that these families are descended from a common ancestor.
To this day, the Doelfel name remains one of the more common names found in German speaking parts of Europe, as well as among the descendants of German immigrants in the US and Canada.
Variations of the surname Doelfel
Doelfel is a German habitational surname derived from the Doelfel region of former Prussia. This family name is also spelled and varianted as Doelful, Dölfel, Dölfel, Dölfell and Dowlful.
Doelfel is one of the many surnames that have developed since the Middle Ages in Germany and other German-speaking countries. People with this name typically tried to remain loyal to their local noble families, and if it changed, they kept their former surnames.
The Gorgeous Crest of the family from Doelfel is a silver shield spread in the middle with the pattern of three crossed helms and at the bottom a prestigious golden star.
Doelfel families have been around for centuries, and most members have been able to trace their lineage to the early 17th and 18th century German migrants to Prussia, and even earlier. Dozens of related families can be found throughout Europe, with particular strongholds in Germany, Prussia, Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands.
The original spelling of Doelfel was Doelful or Dölfel, and despite hundreds of years of separate development, those names still remain more or less the same. Occasionally the spelling has shifted slightly, and it is not uncommon to find some spelling variations today, including Dowlful, Doelful, Dölfell, and Doelfel.
Though these variants might appear to be minor differences, it is important to note that each family with that surname likely did not originally share the same spelling, but rather had gone through its own separate journey in developing the same family surname. Such is the power of migration, language, culture, and tradition.
Famous people with the name Doelfel
- Martin Doelfel, a German video game designer.
- Nicholas Doelfel, a software engineer from Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Alexander Doelfel, a German professional footballer.
- Justin Doelfel, an American animator and graphic artist.
- Simpson Doelfel, a British World War II soldier and recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
- Carl Doelfel, an American football player for the National Football League in the 1920s and 1930s.
- Michael Doelfel, a German author, teacher, and professor of Modern French Literature.
- Naomi Doelfel, an American water polo player and three-time Olympian.
- John Doelfel, an American television producer and director.
- Heinz Doelfel, a German physicist and one of the founding fathers of modern neutron optics.