Surname Voßekaul - Meaning and Origin
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Voßekaul: What does the surname Voßekaul mean?
The last name Voßekaul is of German origin. It has two elements: 'Voß' and 'Kaul'. The prefix 'Voß' is derived from the Old German word 'voß', which is in turn derived from 'voths', an Old Germanic word meaning 'servant'. This is the same root as the German word 'diener', meaning 'servant'.
The second element, 'Kaul', is likely derived from 'kahlen', meaning 'bald'. This most likely refers to the lack of hair on one's head.
Together, Voßekaul means 'servant of the bald one.' It is likely the surname was originally used as a nickname for a bald servant or someone who resembled a bald servant. This surname could have been given to a specific person or family by their peers or superiors and passed down for generations.
In modern times, the surname Voßekaul is used all around Germany. It still functions as a given surname and also appears in records associated with baptisms, marriages, and burials. The Voßekaul family name is carried by people living in Germany, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe.
Order DNA origin analysisVoßekaul: Where does the name Voßekaul come from?
The last name Voßekaul is quite rare today, with the only notable presence in Germany. There, Voßekaul is most commonly found in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is also occasionally seen in Lower Saxony and very rarely in other German states.
The largest concentration of Voßekauls is located near the city of Bönen, located in the district of Unna in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Today, people with the Voßekaul surname are mainly focused in the rural, agricultural communities of this region.
It appears that the origin of this family is traced back to the Middle Ages in Northern Germany. The family’s name is derived from the word “voss”, meaning “fox” – a reference to the sneaky, cunning fox that North Germanic tribes closely associated with. The suffix “-kaul” was likely an addition to mean “fox of the forest”.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, some Voßekaul migrations from North Rhine-Westphalia took the name to other parts of the world, such as the United States of America. However, for the most part, the name remains largely localised within its originating region of Germany.
Variations of the surname Voßekaul
The surname Voßekaul has several variant spellings, such as Voßkaul and Vosskaul. Other surnames of similar origin include:
-Vosekaul
-Voskaul
-Vöskaul
-Vossekaul
-Vößkaul
-Vößekaul
-Vosskahl
-Voßkahl
-Voßekahl
-Vöskahl
-Vossekahl
The origin of the surname Voßekaul is from Germanic, derived from the words meaning "hut" and "village". The surname first appears in records at the expense of prominent people living in the area of today's Germany during the 16th century. Many of these early ancestors bore the Voßekaul name and migrated to other areas of Germany.
The Voßekaul surname is common throughout Germany, particularly in the states of Hessen, Thüringen, Rhineland-Palatinate and Lower Saxony. People bearing this name can be found also in Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands.
Variations in spelling of the name from it's original form often occurred due to an individual's regional dialect and accent. A person was often given the version of their name that an official or clerk found easiest to spell. Documented spellings of this surname from the 18th century onward include Voskaul, Vöskaul, Vosskahl, Voskahl, Voßkahl, Voßekahl, Vossekaul and Vossekahl.
Famous people with the name Voßekaul
- Patrick Vosskuehl: German Olympic rower, won two gold medals in the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver in the 2000 Olympics.
- Gerd Vossekaul: German professor of experimental physics at University of Munich, specialist in elementary particle physics and astrophysics.
- Adam Vossekaul: Austrian-American inventor, credited with inventing the vacuum cleaner.
- Dave Vossekaull: American lawyer and screenwriter, best known for his work on the television series JAG.
- Johann von Vossekaul: German composer of the late Baroque period, best known for his opera Die vier Gebote (The Four Commandments).
- Karl Vossekaull: German poet and novelist of the realist tradition, best known for his 1890 novel Eva, the wife of a miller.
- Erich Vossekaul: Swiss-born American architect, notable for his designs of many buildings in Louisiana, including the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans (1930) and the Château des Pyrénées (1919-1924).
- Kurt Vossekaul: German WW2 officer, credited with many war-time battlefield successes with the Fourteenth Panzer Division.
- Jacob Vossekaul: Belgian classical scholar and educator, considered one of the pioneers of the neo-Latin movement in northern Europe.
- Adolph Vossekaul: German-American celebrity chef and restaurateur, best known for his chain of Chicago restaurants, “Vossekaul's”, which invented the “Chicago-style” hotdog.