Surname Jentgen - Meaning and Origin

Jentgen: What does the surname Jentgen mean?

The last name Jentgen is of German origin and is associated with the given name Jan. The literal meaning of the surname is “son of Jan” or “the J-sound son”, referencing the sound of the letter J in this example.

The surname likely originated in Germany during the Middle Ages when it became common practice for a person to take the name of their father as their own last name. When this happened it was common for the name to be shortened, in the case of Jentgen it became an abbreviation of Jan's son.

Jentgen is not a particularly common last name, although it can still be found in Germany and other countries with German-speaking populations. It has also been passed on to countries with immigrants from these countries.

In the United States the last name is fairly uncommon, although there are a good number of people with the last name scattered across the country.

The coat of arms associated with the Jentgen family features a silver shield with three golden helmet pieces. These are meant to signify strength, protection, and power. Additionally, the colors silver and gold are strongly associated with the coats of arms of Germany.

Jentgen: Where does the name Jentgen come from?

The last name Jentgen is most commonly found in Germany and in the United States. The Jentgen name originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, and after the 30 Years War its variants began to spread across Europe. Today, Jentgen is the 229th most popular name in Germany and the 50,201st most popular name in the United States.

The German version of Jentgen, Gentgen, is considerably more common in that country today. This is because of the German language's propensity for spelling variance. The early twentieth century saw a significant uptick in the immigration of Jentgen family members to the United States, particularly in the Midwest and Texas. This was largely due to agricultural opportunities.

In the United States today, the Jentgen name is most commonly found in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Minnesota. The name is also found in states where older German immigrants settled, including Pennsylvania, Indiana, California, and New York.

Since the Jentgen name has its roots in agriculture, and it is most commonly associated with German immigrants, it is likely to be found in farming or rural areas of the United States. Additionally, the Jentgen name is quite common in Midwest and Mid-Atlantic church records.

Some research suggests that the Jentgen name may also have variants in other European countries, such as Poland and France. The name is uncommon outside of Germany and the United States, but it is possible that there are other pockets of the Jentgen family throughout Europe and other parts of the word.

Variations of the surname Jentgen

The surname Jentgen is an occupational name referring to miners or quarry workers derived from the Middle High German ‘geinz’ meaning ‘miner’. It is thought to have originated in the former Rhineland-Palatinate in France and is now mainly found in North America, France, Germany, and Austria. Although the name Jentgen is relatively uncommon, there are a number of other variants of the name, of similar meaning, that can be seen.

One variant of the name Jentgen is the surname Gentges. This name is thought to have originated from Rheinland-Palatinate or Rhineland-Palatinate, a region of western Germany bordering France. It is believed to have arisen from a form of the word ‘geinz’, the Middle High German term for ‘miner’, and refers to a person who gathered ore or mined.

The variants of Jentgen also include the surnames Jenz and Jenzen. These are thought to have originated in the former Prussian provinces of East and West Prussia, which are now contained in modern Poland and Russia. It is believed that the name Jenz is derived from the Old Prussian word ‘jenckis’, meaning ‘metalworker’. Finally, the variant surname Gentz may have been developed as a shortened version of the name Jentgen.

In addition to the given name variants, several spelling variations of the surname Jentgen can also be seen such as Gentry, Gentz, Guntz, Gener, Ginny, Gentes, Grentz, and Jenz. There are also various surnames of similar origin, including Gent, Genz, Gens, Gentner, and Gentnerin, which also share the same roots. All of these surnames, variants, and spellings are believed to come from the same place of origin and carry the same meaning.

Famous people with the name Jentgen

• Zara Jentgen: Zara is an American businesswoman and healthcare executive. She is currently the President and CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives-Gohealth.
• Wolfgang Jentgen: Wolfgang is a German musicologist and professor at the Musicology Institute of the Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf.
• Richard Jentgen: Richard is a Swiss theologian and author of numerous books on Christian spirituality.
• Christian Jentgen: Christian is a German physicist and professor at the Department of Applied Physics at Technische Universität Darmstadt.
• Bruce Jentgen: Bruce is a former American football player who was an offensive lineman with the St. Louis Cardinals in the National Football League from 1977 to 1984.
• Ole Jentgen: Ole is a Norwegian architect currently based in Kristiansand. He is the former head of the Department of Architecture at Trøndelag University.
• David Jentgen: David is a German film director and former documentarian. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated feature 'The Children of Agata'.
• Pete Jentgen: Pete is an American illustrator and cartoonist. He has worked for a variety of clients including Green Lantern Comics, Marvel Comics, and Hasbro.
• Sheila Jentgen: Sheila is a former Canadian professional tennis player. She won the Canadian mixed doubles title in 1997 and reached the third round of the women’s singles event in the 1998 Australian Open.
• Johnathon Jentgen: Johnathon is an American singer and songwriter. He has released seven independent albums and is best known for his gospel-tinged covers of classic rock songs.

Other surnames

JentgensJentges