Surname Theess - Meaning and Origin
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Theess: What does the surname Theess mean?
Theess is an uncommon surname of Czech origin. It is believed to have evolved from Thiess, a shortened form of the personal name Matthiess, derived from the Hebrew name Matthew. This name was borne by the apostle who wrote the book of Matthew.
The meaning of the name comes from the Greek root Matthias, which is made up of two elements: mathein, meaning ‘to learn’ or ‘to acquire knowledge’, and theos meaning ‘God’. Therefore, Matthias can be translated to mean ‘gift of God’.
Families with Theess as their last name are thought to be of Bohemian descent, primarily from the Moravian region of what is now the Czech Republic. Polish families may also carry the name, as well as a few in Germany, Hungary and Austria.
Theess may also have connections to people joining the Moravian Church in the 1700s from the Prussian province of Brandenburg, who are living in present day North Carolina.
The surname is not overly common, however, in the US and the UK Census records reveal that there are a few families in these countries with Theess as a surname. The families’ most common dwellings are in the states of Ohio and Nebraska, as well as Ontario, Canada.
Order DNA origin analysisTheess: Where does the name Theess come from?
Theess is an uncommon surname in modern times, though there are still some bearers scattered around the world. A majority of the Theess families are found in Denmark, particularly in the western region of Jutland and the cities of Aarhus and Copenhagen. Theess families in other countries can be traced back to Danish immigrants who moved to other parts of Europe, such as Germany and England, as well as the United States.
Theess families that immigrated to the United States came from Denmark beginning in the late 1800s. Many of these Danish immigrants found work in the coal mining industry in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Iowa. Theess families have since spread across the United States, with most of them living in California, Oregon, and Michigan.
Other countries with a small population of Theess families include Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. This suggests that Theess families have followed the waves of Danish immigration in the twentieth century. Despite this fact, Theess is still an uncommon surname, with only a few hundred bearers living in these countries.
Variations of the surname Theess
Theess is a German and Dutch patronymic surname derived from the given name Thees, which is diminutive of Matthias, a Germanic name derived from the Hebrew name Mattathia, meaning gracious gift of God.
The surname Theess has multiple variants and spellings. In Germany, it is commonly spelled as Theß, Thees, Theiß, Theißen, Theißer, Thiess, Thiessen, Thies, Thöss, Theesen, Thieser, Thies, Thíss, Thíessen, Thíes, and Thíeser. In the Netherlands, it is usually spelled as Theïsz, Theïsen, Theissen, and Theÿsz.
The main surname variants of Theess are Thieß, Thies, Thiess, Thiesen, and Thiese. It is also known by several other names such as Theiss, Theessen, Theysen, Theyser, Theys, Thiss, Thissen, Thisser, Thysen, and Thyser.
Other surnames of the same origin are Thysen, Thyser, Thys, Thiessen, Thiesser, Thiess, Teyß, Teyss, Teyser, Teyse, Teisse, Teissen, Teisser, Theise, Theisen, Theiser, Theiseer, Dees, Deess, and Thessen.
The various spellings and surnames of Theess are attributed to the fact that in the old days, languages were not uniform and so there was a strong tendency to spell words phonetically, and this lead to multiple spelling variations even within the same region.
Famous people with the name Theess
- James Theess: producer and director of TV and documentary films.
- Rich Theess: plays a variety of instruments such as electric guitar.
- Matt Theess: former football player who played for the Houston Texans.
- Chris Theess: actor and stuntman who has appeared in films such as Iron Man 2 and 3.
- Taylor Theess: physical therapist and competitor on The Amazing Race.
- Paul Theess: Grammy-winning singer and songwriter.
- Mike Theess: NFL defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints.
- Michael Theess: retired professional ice hockey player.
- Nancy Theess: writer, illustrator and animator who worked on the TV show Animaniacs.
- Bill Theess: former Major League Baseball pitcher.