Surname Gmelch - Meaning and Origin
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Gmelch: What does the surname Gmelch mean?
The last name Gmelch is of German origin. It comes from the word "gmeilen", which means "climb", and refers to an area of hills in northern Germany. The family name was also commonly found in the Low Countries. It is believed that the original German settlers who arrived in the Low Countries brought the surname with them.
The Gmelch surname is found today throughout Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world. The name is most commonly associated with Germany, however, and is found in a multitude of spelling variations throughout the Germanic regions.
Today, the Gmelch family name is most commonly associated with a spirit of adventure and exploration. They are seen as the type of people who aren’t afraid to take risks. They are also known for their strong work ethics and commitment to whatever they put their minds to.
The most famous bearer of the Gmelch last name is Al Gmelch, a renowned German-American entrepreneur and Olympic athlete from the early 1900s. Al started the Gmelch Foods Company and was the first US athlete to compete in the modern pentathlon.
Overall, the Gmelch surname is a representation of Germanic culture and heritage. It is a modern symbol of exploration, courage, and determination. It is also a reminder of the strength of the German settlers of old who left their native Germany and planted their family name all over Europe and beyond.
Order DNA origin analysisGmelch: Where does the name Gmelch come from?
Today, the surname Gmelch is most commonly found in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In Germany, the name is most concentrated in the state of Bavaria, in the south of the country. Many of the earliest known Gmelch ancestors hail from this region.
In the United States, the name is most concentrated in Ohio. Over the last century, many Gmelch immigrants have made their home in this state. Gmelch families can also be found in other states in the US such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
In the United Kingdom, the Gmelch name is most often found in the county of Yorkshire. Over the last hundred years, there has been a steady influx of Gmelch immigrants to this region of England.
While the Gmelch surname has been scattered around the world over the centuries, the greatest concentration of people today who share it can be found in the countries listed above.
Variations of the surname Gmelch
The surname Gmelch has Germanic origin and is believed to have originated in Bavaria, Germany. It has many alternate spellings and variants. Common variations include Gmehl, Gmell, Gmahl, and Gmalch.
Gmelch is also recorded in various forms such as Gmehlach, Gmehlack, Gmellach, Gmahel, Gmellach, Gmahlach, Gmahlech, Gmahlich, Gmalchau, Gmalche, Gmalchow, and Gmaleck.
The surname Gmelch has two possible derivations. It may be from the German "gmehl" (flour, grits, meal) indicating one that was a miller, or a meteoric name referring to a person's birthplace where a meteor or thunderbolt had struck. Alternatively, it could be derived from the Middle Low German name "Gmele" (gnat, midge).
The Gmelch surname is also commonly found in the United States and Canada, primarily in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Ontario. Spellings of the surname in the United States and Canada include Gmehl, Gmile, and Gmilch.
In England the Gmelch surname was spelled as Gmehlch and Gmillech and was primarily found in East Anglia, predominantly in Suffolk and Norfolk.
Nowadays, Gmelch is one of the more uncommon surnames in Europe, with only a few people still holding it.
Famous people with the name Gmelch
- George Gmelch: An American-born academic and anthropologist of peripatetic shifts. He is a well-known for his field research and works on the Irish Travellers, the subject of his book "Resettlement and Change: The Political Economy of Social Transformation in the Basque Country".
- Kurt Gmelch: An American businessman, the founder of the Gmelch Group, LLC, and former CFO of K2 Inc., a diversified holding company. He currently serves on the boards of several companies in the United States and abroad.
- Wilma Gmelch: An Australian ethnographer and Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland whose work often focuses on small-scale societies. She has authored several books and edited collections looking at the lives of minority populations.
- Matthew Gmelch: An American wildlife photographer and explorer, often traveling around the world to capture his images of nature. He has published numerous books, including "On the Edge of Glacier Country", a collection of images and stories from his research in the Swiss Alps.
- Herman Gmelch: An Austrian-born historian and professor emeritus at the University of Freiburg, specializing in modern European history, particularly in the area of intellectual and social analysis of the 19th century. He has authored several books, including "The German Revolution".
- Ludwig Gmelch: A German engineer born in Berlin, he promoted the ideas of early industrialism in mid 19th century Europe. Specifically, he was a proponent of the principles of railroads and their construction in the uniting of a growing nation.
- Jesko Gmelch: A German bishop who served in the Catholic Church from 1870-1917. He was a driving force in the development of the Catholic Church throughout Germany, often acting as a diplomat between the church and the state.
- Jennifer Gmelch: An American sociologist known for her research on population mobility and the Indigenous people of the United States. She is currently a research professor and Director of the Global Migration Project at San Francisco State University.
- Robert Gmelch: An American anthropologist and professor at San Francisco University. He is probably best known for his work on immigrants, particularly those from Ireland, as well as his books on baseball and European witch trials.