Surname Wittekop - Meaning and Origin
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Wittekop: What does the surname Wittekop mean?
The last name Wittekop is a German surname which originated as a toponymic name from Wittekop, a village located in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is derived from the German words witte, meaning “white”, and kop, meaning “head”, and can be translated as “white head” or “white top”. It was originally used to refer to someone who was particularly distinct in appearance due to their light-colored hair or complexion.
The surname Wittekop is relatively rare and is mainly found in Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of Eastern Europe. Throughout the centuries, it has been used to identify many of Germany’s prominent citizens, such as General Ludwig Wittekop, a German military officer of the 18th century, and Friedrich Wilhelm Wittekop, the mayor of eastern Prussia in the 19th century.
The Wittekop surname is closely associated with Germany’s rich cultural heritage, and those who bear it take pride in being part of a unique tradition. The name has been used to identify individuals of a distinct background, those who stand apart due to their physical characteristics or achievements. To this day, those with the Wittekop surname are associated with a proud legacy of German ancestry and heritage.
Order DNA origin analysisWittekop: Where does the name Wittekop come from?
The last name Wittekop is primarily found in the Netherlands and Germany. Records show that the earliest known Wittekop was Jodocus from the Boppard-Stadt region of western Germany, born in 1643.
This last name is relatively rare, with an estimated 10,000 people bearing this name across the world.
In the Netherlands, the majority of those bearing the last name Wittekop are concentrated in the province of North Holland, followed by areas in Gelderland, Zeeland, Friesland, and Noord Brabant.
In Germany, the name is particularly common in Schleswig-Holstein, the home of Hamburg, and also the regions of Niedersachsen, Rheinland-Pfalz, and Sachsen-Anhalt.
The name Wittekop can be found elsewhere in Europe, particularly in areas of the Eastern countries that once fell under Austrian rule.
Elsewhere, people with the last name Wittekop can be found in North and South America, where some Dutch settlers migrated in the 18th and 19th centuries. The United States, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, are among the top countries in terms of the presence of this name.
In Africa, there is some presence of the last name Wittekop in areas such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, owing to the colonial-era migrations from the Netherlands.
The name Wittekop is not particularly common around the world, with an estimated 10,000 people bearing this name. However, it is still possible to find people with this name in various parts of the world, particularly in Europe, the United States, South America, and Africa.
Variations of the surname Wittekop
The surname Wittekop is a Dutch name with many variants and spellings, as well as a few surnames of the same origin.
The surname Wittekop can be spelled “Wittecop”, “Wittekapp”, “Wittecopp”, “Whitecop”, “Whitekop”, “Whitecop”, “Whitecap”, “Whitekapp” and “Whitecopp”.
Variants of the surname Wittekop include the Belgian surnames Witkop and Witskop, and the surnames Witkopf and Wittkopf which are German in origin.
The Dutch surname Witdop, as well as the German surname Wittdobbel, are thought to be derived from the surname Wittekop.
The historical Dutch name Wittekop was originally a nickname for a fair-haired person, as the combination of the words “witte” and “kop” literally translates to “white head”.
The name Wittekop is also related to the Dutch and French surname Witte, as well as to the German surnames Witt and Wittich, which share a similar etymology.
Since the 16th century, many of these surnames have spread to the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, and other parts of Europe. The surname Wittekop is still present in these countries today.
Famous people with the name Wittekop
- coach Bert Wittekop, former German football player
- Buzz Wittekop, professional drag racer
- Mary Ann Wittekop, opera singer and soprano
- Joanne Wittekop, painter of modern impressionist art
- Rosemary Wittekop, Chilean-American composer
- Alice Wittekop, South African poker player
- Anna Wittekop, American photographer and visual artist
- Klaus Wittekop, former East German youth cyclist
- Uwe Wittekop, former German handball player
- David Wittekop, German squash player