Surname Thümen - Meaning and Origin
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Thümen: What does the surname Thümen mean?
The last name Thümen is an old German name, derived from the Middle German word “thume” meaning “Jason” or “warrior”. This name is likely derived from a lost medieval character, as Thümen is considered to be an example of a patronymic surname, meaning a last name derived from the given name of a father or ancestor. This type of surname was once very common among German families, and typically originated from a profession, place of origin or personal characteristics.
In 1685, members of the Thümen family were among the citizens of Potsdam, Germany and were recorded as merchants of knights’ fiefs. These recordings indicate that the Thümen family belonged to the slightly higher social classes of the time and likely descended from a more prominent background of simple merchants or artisans.
The name continued to flourish in Prussia and surrounding German-speaking areas, as well as in the United States during the waves of 19th century German immigration. The surname is most commonly found today in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States.
Overall, the surname Thümen is derived from a blend of deeply embedded German and European culture and history, and is indicative of a long and noble legacy of family and tradition.
Order DNA origin analysisThümen: Where does the name Thümen come from?
The last name Thümen is common today primarily in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It may also be present in parts of the UK and other countries in Europe, where it may have migrated with German immigrants over several generations. It may also be present in the US and other countries throughout the world as a result of migration of German-speaking people from Europe to those places.
This last name is a Germanized form of the Dutch Thumen or Tummen. Meaning "man of the low lands," it may have been originally adopted by Dutch settlers in the German-speaking areas of lowland Europe. It is still present in modern Dutch and German as Thümen and Thumann respectively, though with different spellings in other dialects and languages, such as Tumme in Flemish.
The surname Thümen is most common in Germany, where it is ranked as the 5,122nd most frequent last name. It is also relatively common in the Netherlands, where it ranks as the 1,013th most common. In Luxembourg, it is around the 200th most frequent, and in Belgium it is estimated to be around the 1,000th.
As people with this last name have migrated to other countries around the world, its presence is likely to be more widespread in the modern day. It can be found in the records of people born in places as far away as Australia, Canada, the US, and New Zealand.
Variations of the surname Thümen
The variant spelling of the surname Thümen is Thumen. Thumen is an old German spelling of the name which was used before the 18th century. The name Thümen can also be seen also spelled as Thuemen or Thüm. It can also be found as Tymin or Tymen.
In some cases the surname Thümen evolved into other surnames of similar origin. These include Thumann, Thumannen, Thumanns, Thümm, Thimm, Thoumen, Thoemen, and Thoemann. All of these surnames are derived from the same origin as Thümen and have the same basic meaning, which is “the good one”.
In Central and Eastern Europe the surname Thümen can be translated as Tymien. It is found in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the former Slavic states, and the modern Ukraine. In these parts of the world, it is one of the variants of the name Tyminskij.
In some parts of the world the surname Thümen has been changed to Thumin or Thumine. This is most likely due to the fact that Thumin is a phonetic spelling of the name and is easier to pronounce. Also in some cases the spelling may have been changed to make the surname sound more Germanic in origin.
Overall, the surname Thümen has a variety of variant spellings, surnames, and translations. All of these variants can be traced back to the same origin, which is the German word “der gute”, which means “the good one”.
Famous people with the name Thümen
- Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt: better known as 'Grovtel Blücher', a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who played a major role in defeating the French in the Napoleonic wars.
- Heinrich Friedrich Karl, Freiherr vom und zum Stein, also known as “The Bold of Prussia”, an influential Prussian statesman who pushed for the modernization of Prussia under the reign of the Prussian King Frederick William III.
- Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, an Austrian diplomat who served as a chancellor and foreign minister between 1809 and 1848, and was a driving force behind the Congress of Vienna and the Holy Alliance.
- Princess Melanie Thümen, a German aristocrat and the Princess of Reuss-Greiz.
- William Thümen, German entomologist and natural historian.
- Franz Theodor Thümen, German educationalist and pioneer of co-education.
- Maximilian Thümen, German botanist and plant collector.
- Karl Thümen, inventor and engineer.
- August Thümen, German politician, economist and philosopher.
- Johann Thümen, a German writer, lawyer, and typographer.