Surname Popken - Meaning and Origin

Popken: What does the surname Popken mean?

Popken is an German surname of uncertain etymology, which is thought to be derived from a diminutive of the male given name popular in the Middle Ages. It is suggested that the name is derived from the Latin personal name "Paulus" (Paul) which became "Pauken" during the Middle Ages and then into "Popken". The name Popken could also be derived from the word "pudsche" (lump), which was used to describe a young animal, and then became "Popken".

In Germany, the name Popken is most common in the northern states, especially in the coastal regions. It is also found in parts of Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It is believed that the earliest known bearer of the surname was Ludolph Popken, who was recorded in the Riesbeckbuch from Oldenburg in 1573.

The surname Popken is associated with the popular German gothic metal band "Popken Gomorrah". The band started in San Francisco, California in 1999 and featured a distinctive style of a mix of opera and metal choruses. The surname is also associated with the Dutch actor "Titus Popken" who is best known internationally for his leading role in the international hit TV series "Nothing To Do".

Overall, the surname Popken is associated with an interesting and eclectic mix, ranging from popular German gothic metal bands, and international hit TV series, to German-based towns and villages. It is certainly an intriguing surname with a good deal of history attached to it.

Popken: Where does the name Popken come from?

The name Popken is believed to have originated in Germany and is most common there today. Popken is also found in Denmark, The Netherlands, Australia, the United States of America, Canada, and South Africa.

The name Popken is a North and West German patronymic surname, meaning ‘son of the little one’. It is thought to have derived from ‘Popo’, a pet form of the given name Johannes, which means ‘God is gracious’.

The earliest recorded occurrence of Popken was in about 1320, in the northern German region of Saxony-Anhalt. Records show that a Bartoldus Popken, who was a burgher in the town of Calvorden, signed a document concerning the village of Dreschau.

In Germany in the present day, the most popular region where the surname Popken is found is Lower Saxony. The name is also still very common in other German states, such as Hamburg, Berlin, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Similarly, the largest concentrations of Popkens in the United States are in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. In Canada, there are also large populations of Popken in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

People with the Popken surname can be found all over the world today, with numbers of Australians and South Africans descending from German settlers to those countries.

Variations of the surname Popken

Popken is a German surname derived from the Middle High German word "popinc," which refers to a small landowner or farmer. Variants of the name include Poppeken, Popeking, Poppigh, Popinc, Poppinck, Poppinke, Popkin, Popken, Poppken, Popkenn, Poppeken, Pophing, Pophinge, Pophinck, Pophingen, Pophen, Pophening, and Popheningen.

In the Netherlands, the surname is sometimes spelled as Poppink and Popink, while in Belgium it is known as Popping. In the United States, the name is often found as Poppen and Popen.

In Germany, the name is often rendered as either Popken or Poppken. The latter spelling is a patronymic, as in the name of Poppken van Malle, a famous 17th century printer from Amsterdam. This spelling is also found in the German-speaking area of Alsace, a region split between France and Germany.

In addition to these variants, Popken is a common surname in other countries throughout Europe, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland and Lithuania. In Russia, the surname is associated with the names Popko, Popkov, and PopHave due to the country's long history of German settlement.

Popken is also relatively common in South Africa, a result of many German immigrants settling there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this region, the name is often spelled Popken or Popken van Deventer, the latter being the name associated with a prominent Afrikaner family in the region.

Famous people with the name Popken

• Ernst Popken: Ernst Popken was a German sailor who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.
• Tony Popken: Tony Popken is a former swimmer from the United States who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
• Stein Frøland Popken: Stein Frøland Popken is a former Norwegian track and field athlete. He competed in the men's 400 metres at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
• Heidi Popken: Heidi Popken is a former German women's association footballer, who currently works as a youth coach with Sportfreunde Lotte.
• Ralf Popken: Ralf Popken is a German fencer. He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in the individual sabre event.
• Lutz Popken: Lutz Popken is a German former wrestler. He competed in the men's Greco-Roman welterweight at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
• Robert Popken: Robert Popken is a German judoka. He competed in the men's extra-lightweight event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
• Olly Popken: Olly Popken is a German comedian and actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series Blockbusters and his one man shows.
• Nico Popken: Nico Popken is a retired German footballer. He spent two seasons in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg, and also had a spell with Real Murcia in Spain.
• Ernst-August Popken: Ernst-August Popken was a German film and theatre actor. He made several international films in the 1950s and 1960s.

Other surnames

Popkes