Surname Sievering - Meaning and Origin
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Sievering: What does the surname Sievering mean?
The last name Sievering is of German origin and is classed as a topographic surname. It refers to a person who lived near a body of water or who had ties to the general fishing trade. The name derives from the Old German words “sieven” meaning “to fish” and “eringe” meaning “shore”. This suggests that the earliest ancestors of those bearing the Sievering surname may have either lived near the water’s edge or were fishermen.
Particular areas of Germany that the surname is associated with include regions in the former provinces of Hanover and Saxony. Those with the Sievering surname and its variants often come from the area around the city of Magdeburg located along the middle Elbe River valley.
The American spelling of Sievering is typically Sutherland. However, this spelling variant has not been as popular in the United States as some other forms of the name are, leading to Sievering being used more frequently in Europe.
Sievering can today be found in many countries around the world. Individuals bearing this surname often trace their ancestral roots back to Germany or other parts of Europe. The population of Sieverings is estimated to be more than 10,000 worldwide with most living in the United States, Germany, and Italy.
Order DNA origin analysisSievering: Where does the name Sievering come from?
The last name Sievering is most commonly found in Germany today, particularly in the provinces of North-Rhine Westphalia and Bavaria. It is also found in other parts of Europe such as Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg, and at varying levels across many parts of the world.
The Sievering surname originates from the German language. Its literal translation is “one who severs”, referencing someone who carried out a task such as cutting down trees or harvesting crops. It’s also thought to derive from the Old German given name Sifrid, which was commonly given to boys born around the 12th century. The name is also believed to have been popularized during the late medieval period in Germany, when many farmers and tradespeople adopted a last name.
Given its German origins, it’s no surprise that the name is more commonly found there today. Its prevalence in North-Rhine Westphalia and Bavaria can likely be traced back to emigration patterns from the late 1800s and early 1900s. This region saw significant migration from other parts of Germany, and the Sievering surname followed this flow.
Today, the name is still carried by several Sievering families across the world. It is likely to carry on being passed down through the generations as the name’s popularity endures.
Variations of the surname Sievering
The surname Sievering can be found with many variant spellings and surnames due to its Germanic origin. Common alternative spellings of this surname include Siefering, Siefring, Sieferling, Sieffering, Seifering, Cieving, Siebereng, Siepering and Sebering.
The variant spellings encapsulate the kinds of orthographical changes that can occur to a surname over time, such as the altering of vowels or combining of two words, or the result of immigrants arriving in a new country having a hard time adapting to their new language and spelling conventions.
Sievering is also found in other variations such as Seffring, Sieffring, Sieffering, Sephering, Siebereng, and Siepering. It can also be seen in other spellings such as Sievering, Sieberman, Siefferman, Sieferman, Siefermann, Syvering, Siebauer, Siebrachen, Siebrahm and Siebring.
Variants of the surname are also seen in other languages and dialects such as Seppering in Dutch, Ziepering in Low German, Sivering in Danish and Swedish, Sebering oder Zievering in Upper German, and Szefer in Polish.
While individual families with the Sievering surname can trace their genealogies, the origin of the name is largely speculative. It is likely that the name is derived from the given name Sigeher, which is Germanic in origin meaning “peace warrior”. It is also plausible that it is a toponymous name, derived from places in Germany such as Sieverdingen, Sieberengen, and Zievering, or variants of the name from other countries such as Seffering in the Netherlands.
Famous people with the name Sievering
- Nils Sievering: German hurdler and long-jumper.
- Joel Sievering: American soccer player and former captain of the Ottawa Fury.
- Chester Sievering: American Major League Baseball player in the 1940s
- Adrienne Sievering: British actress and singer known for her lead roles in West End musicals.
- J. D. Sievering: American electronics engineer and former employee of Radio Corporation of America who designed transformers for amplifying radio frequency signals.
- Stefan Sievering: German football player and vice president of VfL Wolfsburg.
- Karl Sievering: Austrian immunologist known for his work in the field of cancer immunology and haematopoiesis.
- Ludwig Sievering: German pottery and porcelain manufacturer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Günther Sievering: German footballer who played for various teams in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Philipp Sievering: Austrian ice hockey player who was a member of the Austrian national team in the 1930s and 1940s.