Surname Gänsl - Meaning and Origin
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Gänsl: What does the surname Gänsl mean?
The last name Gänsl is of Germanic origin and is derived from the ancient German gans meaning 'goose'. According to various records, this surname was first seen in Bavaria in the 13th century, although its exact place of origin is unknown. Its likelihood is that it originated simply as a nickname, referring to someone who either had some connection to geese (such as a farmer), or perhaps because of a comical description of a person's behaviour or attitude.
Today, the name is found in parts of Germany, Austria and other German-speaking regions, particularly in the Upper German-speaking regions, and is most common in Bavaria and surrounding states.
The spelling variations of the name are numerous, although the most common is Gänsl. Some of the other variations include Gänsel, Gansle, Gänsle, Gaensl and Gaensle.
It is possible that the name Gänsl is of Jewish origin, as it closely resembles the Ashkenazic Jewish name Gans, often used as a nickname for 'ganser', meaning 'virtuous'.
The name Gänsl is an interesting one with a rich and varied ancestry. Whether originating from a someone's occupation, or as a nickname, or even from a Jewish root, it remains a timeless Germanic name.
Order DNA origin analysisGänsl: Where does the name Gänsl come from?
The last name Gänsl is most commonly found in Austria and Germany today. Specifically, it is most commonly found in and around the city of Frankfurt, located in the German state of Hesse. Spelling variants of the surname include Gänsle and Gaensl.
The surname is derived from the German word “Gansl”, an old literary term for a gaggle of geese. This stands to reason, as the adoption of a last name often reflects a profession or place of origin. This could indicate that the Gänsl surname originated from someone whose family was originally associated with the raising and selling of geese, such as a farmer or vintner.
The earliest known Gänsl ancestor dates back to the late sixteenth century, when Johann Gänsle was born in 1586 in the city of Friedberg in Hesse.
Roughly two centuries later, in 1795, Johannes Gänsl was registered as a resident of Frankfurt. In 1896, Sophie Gänsl is mentioned in a Frankfurt census, married to a man named Wilhelm.
The Gänsl lineage has since propagated in Germany and Austria, with some branches extending out into the United States of America.
In more recent times, notable people with the surname Gänsl have included Ernst Gänsl, a Bavarian politician in the late twentieth century, and the Austrian singer, songwriter, and author Thomas Gänsl, of the band The Cosmic Contact.
Variations of the surname Gänsl
Gänsl is a German family name, derived from the German word gans meaning 'goose.' The surname is especially common among German families originating from Bavaria and Silesia. Variants of the name include Gansl, Gansle, Gänslle, Ganslbauer, and Ganslmeier. In contemporary German, it is spelled as Gänsl.
The most common alternative spellings of Gänsl are Gansl and Gansle, although there are other variations, such as Gänslle and Ganslbauer, which mainly differ by letter use. Gänslle is the most common spelling outside of Germany, as the letter ä is not used extensively in other countries. Ganslbauer is the form of the name used by people with a farming background. It denotes individuals whose family name includes the word bauer, which is a German word for 'farmer.'
In some cases, the name has been shortened to Gansl, Gans or even Gän for the sake of simplicity. Ganslmeier and Gansberger are two additional surnames which have been derived from the original Gänsl family name. Ganslmeier is a common last name in Austria, Switzerland, and South Tyrol, and reflects the common practice of adding a suffix such as -meier, -macher, or -berger to the original name.
Although the surname Gänsl is most commonly associated with Germany, it also has a long history in Austria, Switzerland, and other German-speaking countries. Furthermore, Gänsl can be found among individuals with Jewish ancestry, as well as in Poland and Russia due to migration in the past centuries.
Famous people with the name Gänsl
- Gunter Gänslmeier: German footballer
- Wolfgang Gänsl: German politician
- Thomas Gänsl: Austrian comic book artist
- Heinrich Gänsl: Austrian physicist
- Gerhard Gänsl: Austrian entrepreneur
- Gregor Gänsl: Swiss tennis player
- Johannes Gänsl: Austrian officer
- Anna Gänsl: Austrian mountaineer
- Günther Gänsl: Austrian composer
- Florian Gänsl: German entrepreneur