Surname Goeben - Meaning and Origin
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Goeben: What does the surname Goeben mean?
The last name Goeben is of German origin, derived from the word ‘Geben’, which means to ‘give’ or ‘offer’. It is believed to be an occupational name for someone who was either a scribe or an almoner, or possibly a nickname for someone who was generous or gave a lot of charity.
The earliest known record of the Goeben surname dates back to 1495 in Cologne, Germany. There is also a long-standing tradition of nobles with this name who emerged in East Prussia in 1724 and served in the military, suggesting that the Goeben surname may also have referred to people of status, rank, or belonging to a high social class.
The Goeben surname is believed to have first spread to North America and the United Kingdom in the late 19th century, mostly to areas with established German-speaking or Prussian populations.
Today, there are many variants of the Goeben name. These include Geben, Goeben, Gebben, Goebeln, Gebbingen, Goebbels, Goebeler, and Goebler. The Goeben surname is now found mainly in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Order DNA origin analysisGoeben: Where does the name Goeben come from?
The last name Goeben is mainly found today in Germany and the surrounding countries. Records show that the Goeben name began appearing in Germany as early as the 12th century, and by the 15th century it had become one of the region's most common surnames. Common distribution of the name shifted further with migration and various dialects and spelling forms began to emerge.
The name Goeben is primarily found in northern Germany, and today it is particularly concentrated in Bavaria and Brandenburg. Other significant concentrations exist in Czechia, Austria, Hungary, and Poland, countries which share a common border with Germany.
The Goeben surname also appears in significant numbers in the United States, Canada and Australia, indicating that these countries are home to some of the descendants of Goeben emigrants who left the region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
All of this suggests that the last name Goeben is still fairly common today, but its distribution is quite concentrated in northern Europe, particularly in Bavaria, Brandenburg, and throughout the surrounding countries.
Variations of the surname Goeben
The surname Goeben is a German or Ashkenazic Jewish surname originating from the Old German Gebo, which means gift. It was likely used to describe someone who was generous or socially prominent. Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Goeben, Gebein, Gebeon, Gebenn, Geba, Geevin, Geevines, Geben, Geven, Gevein, Geveon, Gevani, and Geavi.
The variants of Goeben can all be traced to a single origin, and were likely developed as individual families began to spread out geographically. The Gebein spelling, for example, was more commonly found in Germany and parts of the Netherlands, while the Gebenn spelling was more commonly found in Romania. Meanwhile, the Geba, Geevin, and Geevines spellings were more commonly found in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
Variants of the Goeben surname can also be found in other countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, the surname Geeve has been recorded since the 16th century. In Belgium, the spelling Gebon has been recorded since the 19th century. In the United States, the variant spelling Gevani became popular among immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Overall, the variants of the Goeben surname indicate how the name has been passed down through generations and adapted as families moved geographically through Europe and overseas.
Famous people with the name Goeben
- August Karl von Goeben (1776–1859), Prussian field marshal
- Wilhem Souchon von Goeben (1864–1946), German admiral
- Paul von Goeben (1826–1906), Prussian general
- Leopold von Goeben (1851–1915), German physicist
- Henry Goeben (1875–1954), American lawyer and politician
- Hermann Goeben (1896–1980), German theatre historian
- Hugo Goeben (1868–1950), German gynecologist
- Heinrich Goeben (1819–1904), German orientalist
- Eugen Goeben (1818–1896), German composer
- Richard Goeben (1875–1948), German physicist