Surname Jennewien - Meaning and Origin
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Jennewien: What does the surname Jennewien mean?
The surname Jennewien is of German origin and derives from the words "Jenny" and "Wien", which means "wild goose" and "meadow", respectively. This combination of words implies a representation of a person who was once known for their ability to catch wild geese in meadows. It has been suggested that the Surname Jennewien may have originally been a nickname for a goose hunter, or a person who lived by a meadow located near a pond where geese might gather.
The Surname Jennewien we can trace back to medieval times, when it was known as Jen-Wine-Werden. Wien is a common German term at this time which means "meadow", and as previously mentioned, Jenny meant "wild geese", so it is thought that this surname once belonged to either a hunter of wild geese in the meadow, or to a person living by a meadow near a pond where geese were found.
It is possible that the modern spelling of the surname Jenewien emerged as a result of European settlement in North America and migration from Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. With the installation of more consistent spelling rules, the surname was changed to its current form, Jennewien.
Today, the Surname Jennewien can be found across the United States and Europe as a result of these migrations. People who bear this surname can take pride in the fact that it has a historical meaning that is deeply rooted in German culture, and can also take comfort knowing that it is a very rare name that only a few people from around the globe can call their own.
Order DNA origin analysisJennewien: Where does the name Jennewien come from?
Jennewien is a surname of German origin. It is found primarily in Germany, but there are also considerable concentrations of the name in Canada, the United States, and South Africa. It is likely that the name originated as a patronymic name derived from the given name Johannes, as it translates to 'son of Johannes.'
In Germany, Jennewien is among the top 900 surnames, with distribution across the country. Particularly notable concentrations are in the regions of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Thuringia.
In the United States, the name is most commonly found in California, with Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, Florida, and Wisconsin also boasting significant populations of people with the name. It is estimated that 4,706 people in the United States have the surname Jennewien.
In Canada, the provinces of Ontario and British Colombia are home to particularly large Jennewien populations. Canada boasts a total of 829 people with the name.
Finally, South Africa has sizeable population of Jennewiens, with a large cluster of the name holders living in Gauteng province, followed by KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa is home to a total of 693 Jennewien families.
Given its origins, geography, and population, it is clear that the surname Jennewien is still quite common today.
Variations of the surname Jennewien
Jennewien is a German surname and has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. Its variants include Genewien, Genewin, Ginnewin,Jennewin, Ginnevin, Gennevin, Jenneween, Gennewen and Jennewein. The spellings include Jennewein, Gennewin,Jennewin, Ginnevin, Genewin, Genewien and Gennevin. Other surnames with the same origin include Genneweing, Gennevining, Ginnevinning, Jennewening, Jenning and Genning.
The surname Jennewien mainly comes from the Middle High German names "Ginning"and "Jenning", which mean "people of the Ginning". It could have also originated from the French personal name "Genewein" and the Germanic personal name "Jenno", meaning a person from Gennevières in France.
The surname is usually found in areas of Germany like Bavaria, Hessia, Baden-Wurttemberg and Saxony. There are also occurrences of the surname in the US, UK and other countries. It is likely that the Jennewien surname was first found in Bavaria, where it is thought to have derived from the Ginning root.
The recorded variations in spelling and pronunciation of the surname indicate that it is an old name, having been in regular use since at least medieval times. It might have come to other countries with the many German emigrants who settled in places such as the Americas and Australasia since the 19th century.
Famous people with the name Jennewien
- Joachim Jennewein: German musician and composer.
- Freya Jennewein: German beauty queen, winner of the Miss Germany 2006 pageant.
- Alexander Jennewein: German squash player, five-time German champion.
- Sebastian Jennewein: German footballer, currently playing for FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt.
- Peter Jennewein: German mathematician, author, and professor who specializes in graph theory.
- Markus Jennewein: German former footballer, played for 1. FC Nürnberg and Borussia Dortmund.
- Stefan Jennewein: German microbiologist, professor at the Medical University of Vienna's Institute of Medical Microbiology.
- Roland Jennewein: German actor, best known for his roles in the films "The Night of the Living Dead" and "Manta Manta".
- Karl-Heinz Jennewein: German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen.
- Isabelle Jennewein: German dressage rider and Olympic athlete, won bronze in the 2012 London Olympics.