Surname Gyßen - Meaning and Origin
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Gyßen: What does the surname Gyßen mean?
The last name Gyßen is a German surname that is mainly found in the Northern Germany and Netherlands regions. Its origin is derived from the old German word "gisun," which means "place of the young goats." This likely refers to a person whose occupation in the past was tending goats in a particular area, making this name literally descriptive of "a person from a goat herder's place."
Gyßen's variants in spelling are varied, and the most recognizable include Gissen, Giesen, Gissin, and Gissen. These names are found nearly exclusively in the region of Northern Germany and the Netherlands, but they have spread to neighboring countries in Eastern Europe such as Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
The surname of Gyßen is considered to be very old and is believed to have been in existence since at least the 12th century. It is common in the Northern German speaking countries, with records of its usage extending to the 14th century. It is thought to have been passed down from the Middle Ages when young boys were given the title of "boy" (or boyse) if they worked as unpaid domestic servants or apprentices in lord's households. The last name refers to the hireling that a lord had working for him.
The most famous bearer of this last name was the German theologian, historian, and textual critic Dean Gisens (1799-1867). He is credited for starting the new field of New Testament textual criticism and is commonly known for his Comprehensive Bible Commentary, which was considered to be one of the best reference works of the 19th century. He was the first German to be awarded honorary honorary doctorate from the University of London.
Overall, Gyßen is a German surname with an interesting story behind it. It is thought to have a connection to a person from the Middle Ages who was paid to do work for a lord. This surname is very old and still found in the Northern German and Netherlands regions, with the most recognized bearer being the 19th century theologian and textual critic Dean Gisens.
Order DNA origin analysisGyßen: Where does the name Gyßen come from?
The last name Gyßen is most common in Germany, with its highest frequency found in the state of Hesse in central Germany. It is a relatively rare last name, for instance, in the German telephone directory for 2019, a search for Gyßen yielded only 56 hits across the whole of the country. Gyßen most likely originates in the region of Hesse because "ßen" is a common suffix of place names, particularly in that part of Germany.
The meaning of the name Gyßen is somewhat more difficult to determine, however. It could be an abbreviation of "Gut Säßen", or "Good Säßen". Säßen is a German term for a stone or a flat rock commonly used for building. The name could also be derived from "Gaßen", a dialectal form of "Gassen", which means streets or alleyways in the region of Hesse.
Today, Gyßen remains most common in the region of Hesse, although it is found in various parts of the country. It is not a terribly common last name across the world, although it can be found in small numbers in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Variations of the surname Gyßen
The surname Gyßen has several variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Some of them include Gießen, Gisen, Gissen, Güsen, Gieten, Gütten, Geißen, Gütsen, Giessen, Güßen, and Guytten.
Gießen is the most common variant of the surname Gyßen and is found most frequently in Germany. This variant originated as a form of topographic naming, referring to areas of water, such as rivers and streams. The other variants of the surname come from a similar origin; Giesen derived from a location near a river, “By the Gießen”; Gieten derived from an area near a body of water; Güsen also derived from a geographic feature, near a pool of water; Geißen originated from a location near a net; Gütsen most likely derived from a local marsh; Giessen most likely derived from a place near a nearly dried-up spring; and Güßen simply refers to a location on a river. Variant forms of this surname are also found in Switzerland, Austria, and other parts of Europe.
In addition to these variants and spellings, there are a few other surnames of the same origin as Gyßen. These include Guytten, Gießen-Pohl, Giesener, and Gisener. Guytten is derived from a stream near the town of Guyte; Gießen-Pohl is derived from a locality near the river Gießen; Giesener originated in a city in northern Switzerland; and Gisener is derived from a place near the river Issenbach.
All of these variants, spellings, and surnames originate from the same surname, Gyßen. They each refer to a geographic feature such as a river, stream, pool, or marsh and as such have come to represent hundreds of thousands of people with the same surname.
Famous people with the name Gyßen
- David Gyßen: German umpire for association football and field hockey, as well as coach for field hockey.
- Anja Gyßen: former German female field hockey player
- Thorsten Gyßen: Former German badminton player
- Joseph Gysen: former Belgian professional football player
- Ole Gysen: former professional Danish footballer
- Jens Gysen: former German weightlifter
- Sarah Gysen-Heffer: British voice actor and singer
- Frans Gysen: Belgian occupational hygienist
- Wim Gysen: former Belgian judoka
- Steven Gysen: Belgian basketball player