Surname Stieglitz - Meaning and Origin

Stieglitz: What does the surname Stieglitz mean?

The surname Stieglitz is of German and Jewish origin and is derived from the Middle High German word “Stigelin” or “Stigel”, meaning “little stick”. It was most likely originally a nickname for someone who was thin or scrawny, although today it is a common last name.

There are several variations of the name such as Stieglitz, Stieglitzer, Steiglitz, and Steigleiter, which indicate a geographical location such as a forest, lake, or mountain near where the original bearer of the surname lived. The name may have been adopted by immigrants who settled in Europe during the Medieval and Renaissance periods and since the nineteenth century people bearing the name have emigrated to all parts of the world including the United States, Canada, and South America.

The Stieglitz surname is a reminder of the Germanic and Jewish roots of many settled families in Europe, and is a reminder of a rich and diverse heritage that has connected many individuals over many generations. Those with the last name Stieglitz today are likely to have distant relatives across the world, and in many different countries, due to the extent of migration that has occurred over centuries.

Stieglitz: Where does the name Stieglitz come from?

The last name Stieglitz is most common in Germany, especially in the northern regions. It is also found in many eastern European countries such as Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Austria, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic. It is also found in the UK and Ireland, as well as in the US, however in much lower numbers.

The origin of the name is commonly believed to have come from the Middle High German word “Stigelitz” which means "tight-laced trader" or "strict trader". The name was likely given in reference to someone who was a shrewd and frugal businessman.

In Germany, the Stieglitz name appears to have been most commonly associated with the city of Magdeburg. Today, the Stieglitz family name is still actively used in its place of origin, as well as throughout Germany and other parts of Europe. Amongst German immigrants in the US, the spelling ‘Stieglitz’ has also been preserved.

In the US, the Stieglitz name is not historically associated with any particular state, though there is a city called Stieglitz located in Tennessee. This is probably a coincidence, as no Stieglitz families are known to have lived there.

The family name is also found in certain Noble families of Europe. For example, the House of Salm-Reifferscheid-Stieglitz was a noble family from Germany. In 1858, Adolf von Stieglitz was made a Count by Kaiser Franz Joseph I in Austria.

Today, the last name Stieglitz is most common in Germany, where it is particularly prevalent in the northern regions. In the US, particularly in amongst German immigrants, the name is still found, albeit in much smaller numbers.

Variations of the surname Stieglitz

The surname Stieglitz is a German and Jewish name and is derived from the Middle High German words ‘stigel’ or ‘stiegl’, which mean ‘stalk’, as well as ‘witz’ which means ‘cleverness’. It is a variant of the name Stiegel, and there are numerous alternative spellings and surnames of the same root, including the following:

• Stigel

• Stiegl

• Stigall

• Stigle

• Stiegal

• Stiyglitz

• Stiglich

• Stiegle

• Stiegler

• Stieglitzen

• Stiegemeyer

• Stiegmann

• Steigel

• Steigler

• Steglich

• Stegle

• Stegmann

• Stigal

• Stigell

• Stigle

• Stiglich

• Stigleman

• Stigler

• Stiglichter

• Stigman

• Stigmeier

• Stigt

• Stigwalt

• Stygal

• Stygel

• Styglitz

• Stirlitz

• Stoeglitz

• Stogal

• Stogel

• Stoger

• Stoglitz

• Stolitz

• Stynck

In addition to these variants, the surname is also sometimes found anglicised as ‘Stickles’ or ‘Sticklitz’. It is thought that some of these variant spellings (such as Stickles and Stiglitz) may have arisen due to pronunciation and spelling mergers of different languages. For example, pronouncing German words in a non-native language may lead to the merging of the German 'stieglitz' and 'stiglitz' and become 'stickles' in English.

Famous people with the name Stieglitz

• Alfred Stieglitz: Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental in making photography an accepted art form in the late 19th and early 20th century. He helped found the Photo-Secession movement and was later founder and editor of the magazine Camera Work. Stieglitz was a successful commercial photographer, but is best known for his artistic images and for his promotion of photography as an art form.
• Paul Stieglitz: Paul Stieglitz was a German Protestant theologian and professor at Goettingen University in the mid-1900s. His work focused on religious ethics and studies in practical theology.
• Robert Stieglitz: Robert Stieglitz is a retired boxer from Magdeburg, Germany who won the European super-middleweight title in 2011. He also held the WBO super-middleweight title at one point in his career.
• Florence Meyer Stern Stieglitz: Florence Stieglitz was an American socialite who was married to the photographer Alfred Stieglitz. She was passionate about art and was known as a creative, imaginative hostess.
• Georgia O’Keeffe: Georgia O'Keeffe was an American artist known for her large, iconic abstract landscapes and modernist interpretations of plant and animal life. She met and was mentored by Alfred Stieglitz and eventually became romantically involved with him.
• Norma Stieglitz: Norma Stieglitz was an American patron of the arts who was the sister of photographer Alfred Stieglitz. She was a beneficiary of the Stieglitz family trust that helped promote photography as an art form.
• Dr. Charles Stieglitz: Charles Stieglitz was the brother of photographer Alfred Stieglitz and a notable dermatologist in the early 1900s who established his own clinic in 1916.

Other surnames

Stieglietz