Surname Theisling - Meaning and Origin
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Theisling: What does the surname Theisling mean?
Theisling (also spelled Theislin, Theissling, or Theesling) is a German family name meaning "maker of sacrificial vessels," derived from the German words ("thiess") and ("ling"). It was traditionally associated with pottery and iron work, usually in the form of cauldron-making or other forms of metalwork.
The original form of the surname, Tiling, is found in Germany dating back to the early 16th century. It likely derived from the same root as the surname Thiess, a short form of Matthias, and was adopted by farmers in the 16th century. In Bavaria, Thiessler and Thiesslin were common surnames by the 1600s.
Theisling, or Theislin, then became an established family name for those who resided in Brandenburg, Pomerania, Prussia, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saxony. In certain regions, it was not uncommon for the name to morph into Theissling, or Theesling.
In America, Theisling and its variants began appearing in the 19th century. This was likely due to waves of German immigrants, especially in the mid-1800s.
Today, the surname continues to be used by descendants of German immigrants, and some now associate it more broadly with craftsmen. It is also linked to a meals-on-wheels service called Theisling Meals in the Pennsylvania area.
Order DNA origin analysisTheisling: Where does the name Theisling come from?
Theisling is a German last name derived from the old German personal name Theißling, possibly meaning " Referring to the deity". Today, this surname is mostly found in Germany, particularly in the northern part of the country.
Recent statistics show that Theisling is the 27,607th most common last name in Germany.
A majority of the families with the name Theisling can be found in cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Dortmund, and Bochum. However, due to the multiculturalism of modern German society, this name is also found in other countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
One of the earliest records of the name Theisling that have been found is in the 13th century where a man called Drogo Theiselinger is mentioned in the records of the Bamberg bishopric in present-day Bavaria.
Theisling is still a quite rare last name, but it is slowly becoming more popular with the increase of multiculturalism around the world. Although it is certainly not the most common name in Germany, it is a surname with deep roots in the German culture that many descendants of the Theisling family can take pride in.
Variations of the surname Theisling
Theisling is a surname of German origin and can be variously spelled Theising, Tessling, Tessling, Deising, Diceling, and Dyßling. It most likely derived from the pre-medieval tribal name "Tessen," which was taken from an old German word meaning "people" or "tribe." In the late 13th century, it came to refer to the people of Hessian region, in what is now Germany.
Historically, Theisling could have been a topographical name, referring to someone who lived near a thistle patch, or perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a person who picked thistles. In this case, Theisling may have been a variant of Theusling, or Diesling.
Other spellings of Theisling include Dessling, Desing, Dising, Dussling, and Teyßling. It is also possible that Theisling is an anglicized form of several names, and variants of this surname can be found in many other countries with German-speaking communities, such as Austria.
Theisling is usually a patronymic surname, meaning "son of Theis." In some cases, Theis may have been a shortening of Dietrich, or of any of several other Germanic personal names beginning with the element "theud," which is derived from the Old German word "theud," meaning "people" or "tribe."
It is also possible that Theisling could be an Anglicized form of the Dutch surname Dijsling, which may have derived from an Old Dutch word meaning "the people of Dijs" – a local place-name. In this instance, the surname "Theisling" would have originated from a Dutch family who moved to Germany.
Famous people with the name Theisling
- Hans Theisling: He was an American lumberman and horticulturist who was born in the 1920s. He was known for his pioneering work on tree species identification and timber evaluation.
- Baron Adolph von der Heydt Theisling: He was a German aristocrat and statesman who served in the Federal Assembly of the German Confederation in the mid-19th century.
- Helmut Theisling: He was a German photographer and filmmaker born in the 1920s. He was best known for his documentaries exploring important historical topics of the era.
- Anna M. Theisling: She was an American author in the 19th century and is best known for her novel, Old Grandmother’s Calendar.
- Julia Theisling: She was a German artist and art dealer in the late 19th/early 20th century. She is best known for her works celebrating the countryside and animals.
- August Theisling: He was a German sculptor born in the 1800s. He is best known for his neo-classical body of work.
- Theodor Theisling: He was a German composer and organist born in the mid-19th century. He was known for his works based on the music from the French composer, Jean-Philippe Rameau.
- Paul W. Theisling: He was an American inventor born in the late 1800s. He is known for his work on a variety of inventions, including a new process to make gasoline-powered engines.
- Caspar Theisling: He was a Dutch-born German politician in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was best known for his work on introducing labor reforms and social security policies.
- Jakob Theisling: He was a German Catholic priest born in the mid-1800s. He was known for his work as a missionary in Africa and the Middle East.