Surname Doerfert - Meaning and Origin
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Doerfert: What does the surname Doerfert mean?
The last name Doerfert is likely German in origin. It is thought to have its roots either in a combination of two individual words referring to a "door guard" or a shortened version of a longer name beginning with ‘die Dörrfert’, meaning “the one with the door” - implying someone who guards a door or gate. It may also be derived from the ancient Middle German name ‘Dörffer’, referring to either someone who lived near a village gate or someone who lived close to a small narrow passageway.
The Doerfert surname likely originated as a reference to someone’s occupation as a door guard or keeper of a passageway. It likely became an identifier of a particular family as well, so that it could be used to tell the Doerferts apart from other families within the same village.
The Doerfert surname has become fairly common over the past centuries, with current examples found all over the world. Some people have adopted the name as their own, while others may trace their family line back through generations of Doerferts to a common ancestor. The name appears to still have its roots in German culture and language, but could easily be used by people of any nationality.
Order DNA origin analysisDoerfert: Where does the name Doerfert come from?
The last name Doerfert is most commonly found in the German-speaking countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It has also been found in France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and other countries in Europe. The surname is not especially common, however, and is not found in North America.
Doerfert is derived from the German word “Dörfer” meaning “village” and was likely given to a person who hailed from or lived in a village. The first recorded use of the name was in the late 1500s in the German state of Thuringia.
Areas in Germany where the surname Doerfert is most common today include Bavaria, Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Westphalia, and Brandenburg. In Austria, Doerfert is concentrated in the regions of Burgenland, Carinthia, Styria, and Upper Austria. In Switzerland, the name is mainly found in the cantons of Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, and Zurich.
In recent decades, immigration has meant that a small number of people with the last name Doerfert have moved to other parts of the world, particularly Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. There are currently Doerfert families located in New York, North Carolina, and California.
Despite being widely dispersed around the world, the Doerfert family continues to share a common bond through its shared heritage.
Variations of the surname Doerfert
The surname Doerfert is of German origin and has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.
The most common variation of the surname Doerfert is Dörfert, with the German umlaut being prevalent in the spelling. Other variations include Dorfert, Doerffert, Dorffert and even Thoerfert and Thörfert, as Tho/Thö is often used to represent the same sound as the umlaut Do/Dö.
Surnames of the same origin may include Doerffer, Doerfler, Doerfling, Doerfli, Dorffer, Dorffler, Dorfler, Dorfling, Dorfli, Thoerffer, Thoerfler, Thoerfling, Thoerfli and Thörffer.
Variations of spelling often arose due to the fact that the same spelling and pronunciation could be produced in different ways, due to different dialects in the areas and also due to interpretations and phonetic misunderstandings by clerks who wrote down the name. The introduction of German umlauts in the 18th and 19th centuries also caused changes in spelling, as umlauts were often rendered as a following vowel or letter combination or replaced with following vowel (e.g. Doerfert became Dorfert).
In summary, the surnames Doerfert, Dörfert, Dorfert, Doerffert, Dorffert, Thoerfert and Thörfert, along with many other variations, spellings and surnames of the same origin are all derived from the same German family name.
Famous people with the name Doerfert
- Rudi Doerfert: a German political scientist and professor of political science.
- Alison Doerfert: an American former professional basketball player.
- Kurt Doerfert: a German footballer who played for Hertha BSC.
- Wolfgang Doerfert: a German contemporary visual artist.
- Alexander Doerfert: a German Roman Catholic priest and Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz.
- Fritz Doerfert: a German actor who performed in films between 1908 and 1929.
- Karl-Heinz Doerfert: a former German football forward.
- Anita Doerfert: a German author who wrote the novel To Be A Woman.
- Willy Doerfert: a former German footballer who played as a forward.
- Claas-Alfred Doerfert: a German film producer mainly known for producing silent films.