Surname Goetze - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'G'
Goetze: What does the surname Goetze mean?
Goetze is a surname of German origin. It is derived from the old German personal name "Godezo" or "Goetze" itself. It's primarily a patronymic name, meaning it is based on the name of a male ancestor. The suffix "-ze" is commonly added in Germanic language to denote "son of". Literally, Goetze could therefore translate to "son of Godezo/Goetze". The original name "Godezo" is composed of two elements: “god/got” referring to “god” or “good”, and “-zo” constituting a popular ending in Germanic personal names. Thus in a broader sense, the name Goetze could hint at meanings like "good son" or "son of the good". Like many surnames, geographical distribution of Goetze can vary, and individuals with this name can be found spread across the world, although it’s particularly common in Germany.
Order DNA origin analysisGoetze: Where does the name Goetze come from?
The surname Goetze originated from Germany and it is a variant spelling of Götz. The name is based on a personal name, which is likely a short form of a compound with the element god or good. It's also related to the word "Götz" which means "goth" referring to the Gothic tribes that invaded parts of the Roman Empire. It might be a professional surname for a sculptor or carver as "Goetz" means God or idol.
The name Goetze is commonly found amongst people of German descent and is most prevalent in Germany. Today, it can be also found in the United States, Brazil, and other countries due to migration and diasporic spread. However, its greatest concentration remains in Germany. Specifically, the largest number of people with the surname Goetze live in Berlin according to the GeoNames geographical database.
Variations of the surname Goetze
The surname Goetze originated from the German language and has various variants, spellings, and cognates stemming from the same roots. Some may depict geographical areas, nicknames, or occupational associations. They include Götze, Goetz, Götz, Goetze, Gotze, Göetze. Additionally, it may also manifest as Gatz, Goetzer, Goetzke, Goetzen, and Goetzmann. These names may also have additional versions with an umlaut (¨) above the "o," commonly seen in German surnames.
Keep in mind that throughout history, surnames often changed due to a variety of factors including immigration, translation or transcription errors, or personal preference in spelling which contribute to the variation in these names. The 'tz' ending is common in many locations throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, hence people from these regions having different versions of the surname likely share common ancestral ties. Furthermore, plurals or added suffixes might indicate family branch distinctions or occupational links. For instance, the suffix 'mann' in Goetzmann could point towards a senior or important person in the Goetze family or a person connected with the profession of Goetz.
The surname and its variants may have different pronunciations in different languages and dialects which is another reason for the varied spellings.
Famous people with the name Goetze
- Mario Götze: professional German footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund and the German national team.
- Peter Götze: German actor, director, composer and producer, best known for his roles in the German films Der Bergdoktor and Die Babysitterin.
- Susannah Götze: German actress, director and producer who is best known for her roles in the films Amour (2012) and Somewhere in Germany (2007).
- Johann Heinrich Gottlieb Götze: German painter and engraver of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
- Rudolf Götze: German painter and illustrator from the 1930s.
- Adolf Friedrich Gotze: German historian and philosopher of history from the late 19th century.
- Albert Gotze: German Expressionist painter who lived and worked in the early 20th century.
- Carl Gottlieb Gotze: German mineralogist and chemist who was involved in the development of chemical thermodynamics in the late 19th century.
- David Götze: German politician, theologian and writer of the early 19th century.
- Edgar Gotze: German philosopher and professor at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, during the early 20th century.