Surname Wegehöft - Meaning and Origin
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Wegehöft: What does the surname Wegehöft mean?
The last name Wegehöft, or "Wegehoft", is a German surname. It is derived from the German word "Weg", meaning "way" or "path" and "Höft", meaning "courtyard". Combined, the two words give the literal meaning of "a court or enclosure along a way". Historically, the name was often associated with places in Germany (e.g., settlements, farms, towns) where the path to a certain destination was blocked or impassable. In such cases, travelers would be forced to make a detour through an adjacent court, or "Wegehöft"; hence the origin of the name.
The Wegehöft surname is also associated with people who lived at such a court (or "Wegehöft") and took on the name accordingly. In many cases, these people were either landowners or had a trade such as an innkeeper or producer of pottery, tools, or other items. The Wegehöft surname is one of the oldest family names in Germany, first appearing in documents from the 13th century.
The Wegehöft name is still fairly common today, being found in all of the German states and numerous countries around the world. People with the last name typically share a common ancestor (plantation owner, innkeeper, etc.) who took on the name many centuries ago.
Order DNA origin analysisWegehöft: Where does the name Wegehöft come from?
The last name Wegehöft is of German origin and is most commonly found today in Germany and other German-speaking countries such as Switzerland, Austria, and Luxembourg.
The earliest record of the surname can be found in the city of Hamburg in 1632. Since then, the family name has spread throughout northern Germany, especially in the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The surname was likely derived from the German word "wegehof," which means "pasture path" or "enclosed way." It is likely related to an old German land form in which a farmer or landowner marks certain paths with stones or poles, often to mark the borders of their land. This practice has since faded out, but the surname remains.
Today, the last name Wegehöft is especially common in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, where the most two most populous cities to feature the name are Hamburg and Lübeck. In Hamburg, there are 167 Wegehöfts according to the current telephone directory, and 32 Wegehöfts in Lübeck. The surname is also found in smaller German-speaking countries such as Switzerland, Austria, and Luxembourg, albeit in fewer numbers.
To sum up, the surname Wegehöft is of German origin, and is most commonly found today in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Luxembourg. The most populous German cities to feature the surname are Hamburg and Lübeck.
Variations of the surname Wegehöft
The surname Wegehöft is of German origin, and its variants and alternate spellings include Wegehoft, Wegehaupt, Wegehöpf, Wegehauf, Wegeherf, Wegenhöf, Wegenhoft, Wegenhaupt, Wergehoft, and Wegershof.
The surname is composed of two parts: “wege”, which is derived from the Middle High German word “wegen” meaning “way,” indicating that the family originally hailed from a place with a closely associated road, and “höft,” which is derived from the Old High German word “höbard” meaning “attendant” or “servant.” Thus, those possessing this particular surname would have been closely associated with a road or thoroughfare, probably as an attendant or servant of the area.
The surname Wegehöft also has a number of additional variants in its ancestral spelling. These are Veyghoef, Vaigof, Vaigoof, Veyhof, Veyhoff, Vaigopf, Weegenhoef, Wegehof, Weggenhoef, Weghehoff, and Wiggerhoef. All of these spellings stem directly from the Middle High German root of the original surname.
Other surnames which have the same origin as the primary surname Wegehöft include Wegefiel, Wegenhofer, Wegenhaupter, Wegefuhr, Weghefuhr, and Wegevogel. All of these surnames represent an ancestor who had a connection to a road or street of some sort, and likely lived a life of service.
Famous people with the name Wegehöft
- Stefan Wegehöft: a German historian who serves as professor at the University of Potsdam since 2003.
- Max Wegehöft: a German actor best known for films like Klingenberg, Zwei Menschen, and Klassenfahrt.
- Sophie Wegehöft: a German musician and singer.
- Hubert Wegehöft: a German poet, author, and journalist.
- Rose Wegehöft: a German architect and civil engineer.
- Oskar Wegehöft: a German music theorist who studied with Johannes Brahms.
- Arnold Wegehöft: a German music director and composer.
- Eberhardt Wegehöft: a German actor and voice actor best known for films like Don Quijote, Frankenstein Junior, and Der Laden.
- Walter Wegehöft: a German film producer and director active from the late 1930s.
- Erich Wegehöft: a German pilot and flying ace of World War II.