Surname Schmidtchen - Meaning and Origin
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Schmidtchen: What does the surname Schmidtchen mean?
The last name Schmidtchen is a German surname meaning "little Schmidt". It is primarily derived from an occupational name for a steward, originating from the Middle High German words "schmidt" or "smidt", which meant blacksmith. The surname was found primarily in northern Germany.
The suffix "-chen" in German surnames was primarily used to denote a son of the original bearer of the name. It used to be given to children born to unmarried or widowed mothers, and also was used as a pet name for someone who was small or endearing in some way.
In modern day Germany, the surname Schmidtchen is still widely used and is derived from either Schmidt or the Dutch surname Smits. Schmidtchen is also a common Jewish name in Germany, and is thought to have originated in the early 19th century. In Jewish culture, it was used as a pet name for a small blacksmith or metalworker, such as someone who worked in Jewish communities as a blacksmith.
The real origin and meaning of the surname is a mystery, but it is certain that it represents a small or endearing person. The last name is still seen in Germany and other parts of the world, and shows that people have not forgotten the origin of the name.
Order DNA origin analysisSchmidtchen: Where does the name Schmidtchen come from?
The last name Schmidtchen is most common in Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries in Central and Northern Europe. The name is a patronymic name, which means that it is derived from the father's name.
The name likely originated as "Schmiedchen" in Germany, which means "little smith" or "little blacksmith" in German. This name was adopted in the Middle Ages when people adopted a patronymic system, in which their last name was derived from their father's first name. Over the centuries, the name was gradually shortened to Schmidtchen.
Today, Schmidtchen is still quite common in Germany and other parts of Northern and Central Europe. According to the German telephone directory, the name is found in nearly 25,000 entries. In the Netherlands, the name is also widely represented, with over 5,000 entries. It is also found in countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland.
Outside of Europe, the last name Schmidtchen is less common. It is found mainly on the east coast of the United States, in Canada, and in parts of Latin America, with a several hundred entries in each of those countries.
Variations of the surname Schmidtchen
The surname Schmidtchen (also spelled Schmittchen, Schmidchen, and Schmidtschneider) is an occupational surname of German origin, typically associated with blacksmiths. It literally translates to “little blacksmith”, and means the same thing as the Dutch and German name Smid. The spelling of Schmidtchen is also found in the various dialects spoken in the German regions of Westphalia, Saxony, and Bavaria.
The recorded spellings of Schmidtchen vary widely, depending on where a person lived in Germany and which dialect was spoken. Common variations in spelling are Schmidchen, Smidchen, Schmidtschneider, Schmidtschenider, and Smidtschenider.
Variant surnames of Schmidtchen include Schmied, Schmieder, Smid, Schmitt, Smidt, Schmiedt, Smitt, Schmitz, Schmidt, and Schmetz. These surnames all originated from the same German occupation, that of a blacksmith. German settlement in North America has resulted in the surname being found in various spellings in the United States.
A number of German-American families have adopted alternate spellings of Schmidtchen, including Schmied, Schmieder, Smit, and Schmitz. These are all common variations that have become widespread throughout the United States, particularly in the Midwest and parts of Pennsylvania.
In addition to these spellings, some families have adopted creative variations of the Schmidtchen surname, including Schmitty, Schmittzer, Schmitler, Schmioler, Schmutter, Schmueser, and Schmeer. Some of these surnames originated from an ethnic version of Schmidtchen, such as Schmitteshut, which was an adaptation of the surname by German-American immigrants in New York City in the mid-1800s.
Famous people with the name Schmidtchen
- Volker Schmidtchen: German squash player
- Eric Schmidtchen: American professional football player
- Karl-Heinz Schmidtchen: German football manager
- Gunther Schmidtchen: German long jumper
- Julius Schmidtchen: Austrian ice hockey player
- Gerhard Schmidtchen: German boxer
- Jakob Schmidtchen: German actor
- Jürgen Schmidtchen: German rally driver
- Ernst Schmidtchen: German sculptor
- Katharina Schmidtchen: Austrian singer
- Vanessa Schmidtchen: Austrian DJ
- Johannes Schmidtchen: German historian
- Mark Schmidtchen: American mathematician
- Jan Schmidtchen: Austrian composer
- Axel Schmidtchen: German painter
- Peter Schmidtchen: German tennis player
- David Schmidtchen: Norwegian fencer
- Alexander Schmidtchen: German actor
- Johann Schmidtchen: German composer
- Josef Schmidtchen: Czech footballer
- Christopher Schmidtchen: German chemist
- Johann Schmidtchen: German cellist
- Rebecca Schmidtchen: Austrian sculptor
- Helmut Schmidtchen: German journalist
- Sonja Schmidtchen: German filmmaker