Surname Schön - Meaning and Origin
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Discovering Ancestral Roots through iGENEA DNA Test: A Deeper Understanding of the Schön Heritage
From the ease of taking the test to the detailed historical breakdown of my ancestry that it provided, taking an iGENEA DNA test was a genuinely enlightening experience. It not only reaffirmed my family's German heritage, but it also gave me a new perspective on my surname, Schön, and the demographic origins of my ancestors.
H. Schön
read moreSchön: What does the surname Schön mean?
The last name Schön is a German surname that can be translated to the adjective “beautiful” in English. This surname is believed to have originated from either Middle High German schone or Old High German sconō. It is thought to be a nickname for someone who was good-looking, with the literal translation being “fair or blissful”.
The descendants of the Schön name can be traced back to those who lived in parts of Southern Germany, including Bavaria and Switzerland. It is believed that the family name first appears in Germany during the 12th century. It later spread across Europe and into North America in the 17th century. It can be found in records of immigration from Germany in the United States during the mid-1800s.
Today, the Schön name is a common last name in Germany and can be found in North America, particularly in areas with a high concentration of German ancestry. It is also the German version of the surname Shaw, which has a similar meaning.
The German adjective “schön” is also an important part of the German language, and is commonly found in the works of authors such as Goethe and Schiller. It has also been used in songs, such as in the popular folk song “Das schöne Mühlbachtal” (The Beautiful Valley of the Mill).
Overall, the last name Schön has a deep cultural history and is an important part of German heritage. It is derived from the adjective “beautiful”, and its descendants can be traced back to those who lived in parts of Southern Germany and Switzerland. Through the centuries, the Schön name has spread to different parts of the world, including North America, due to immigration.
Order DNA origin analysisSchön: Where does the name Schön come from?
The last name Schön is generally found more in central and northern Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. It is also occasionally found in parts of the Netherlands, Hungary, and other Germanic countries.
The origin of Schön is Germanic, derived from the surname Schone, meaning "beautiful". This surname likely originated from the Middle High German words schoene and Schoenen, both of which mean "to adorn".
In Germany, Schön is among the top 500 most common surnames. There is some crossover into the neighboring countries of the Czech Republic and Austria, where it is significantly less common but still found. Schön is also seen sporadically in parts of the Netherlands, Hungary, and other parts of Germany.
Within Germany, the highest concentration of the name Schön is found in the Bayern region, followed by Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein, Brandenburg, and Hamburg.
Schön is also moderately common in the US, with somewhere between 3,015 and 6,080 citizens holding the name. In the US, it is now spelt differently from its German counterparts, mostly as being Schoen, Shon, or Schon. People with the surname Schön are generally English-speaking, primarily of German or Dutch ancestry.
Though far less common than it once was, the surname Schön is still found in its birth region and beyond.
Variations of the surname Schön
The surname Schön, which is German for 'beautiful', has a number of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. One of the most common forms is Schon, which is itself a variant of the original name. Other spelling variations include Schoen, Schöne, Schoenau, Schone, Sch unveiled, and Scheun.
The surnames derived from Schön include Schoenbach, Schoenderling, Schoenfelder, Schoenhals, Schon, Schonbach, Schonberg, Schonbrunn, Schondel, Schonemann, and Schoning. In Austria, Schlöndorff is a variant.
Schon is the most common variant of the surname, particularly in the United States. Other forms are Schoen, Schoenau, Scheun, Schöne, Schlöndorff, and Schone. Depending on the region, Dutch versions of Schon may also exist, such as Schoenheide, Schooks, and Schoolderman.
A number of Jewish variants exist, such as Shein and Schoenfeld. Jewish immigrants to America often adopted the patronymic Schonberg, which is a compound of 'son of' and 'Schon'.
In addition to these variants, spelling variations such as Shön, Shon, Shonn, and Shoon may also exist. Finally, Schön may also be used as a given name, as in the case of Schön Hamilton, or used a middle name, as in the case of Annette Schön Olivieri.
Famous people with the name Schön
- Christian Schön: German football manager and former player.
- Karl Schön: Austrian painter.
- Philip Schön: German politician and former Prime Minister of Hamburg.
- Gudrun Schön: German actress.
- Nicolas Schön: German singer and songwriter.
- Tim Schön: Swiss professional basketball player.
- Julius Schön: German goldsmith and jeweler.
- Marcus Schön: German stage director and playwright.
- Philipp Schön: German photographer.
- Sabine Schön: German lawyer and legal scholar.