Surname Görl - Meaning and Origin
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Görl: What does the surname Görl mean?
The last name Görl is a German surname of both ethnic German and Jewish origins. It is derived from the old German word "Gör" which means spear and likely originated as a nickname for someone who was a skilled hunter or a soldier.
In certain areas of Germany, Görl is associated with a Jewish family whose ancestors emigrated from Alsace in the late 1700s during the period of Napoleonic wars. This family was believed to have established the rabbinical institute in Keppenheim and is famous for having produced rabbis, lawyers, and businessmen.
The Görl family also has a long history in Prussian Poland, where it is associated with the leading Jewish families in the area. It is not uncommon to find families bearing this name in Berlin and Litzmannstadt (now known as Łodź).
The surname Görl is still common in Germany today, with estimates of up to 3,000 people bearing the name. It is occasionally found in the UK, the USA, and Canada, with largest concentrations of people with this name living in western Germany.
The Görl surname can still remind people of its Prussian and Jewish heritage, its association with accomplished members of society, and the skills of being a hunter or soldier.
Order DNA origin analysisGörl: Where does the name Görl come from?
The last name Görl is most commonly found in Germany, where it is also associated with the city of Görlitz. It can also be found in parts of the Czech Republic and Poland, particularly around regions where the Slavic and Germanic cultures intersect. In all likelihood, the name has its source in an area along the Oder River, which separated what is today Germany and Poland during the Middle Ages.
In Germany, the Görl name is thought to be derived from the Slavic name Görlich, which may have been a patronymic denoting families who were descended from a man named Görl. In the Czech Republic and Poland, the roots of the name are slightly different. For instance, in Poland, the surname Görl has its source in the Czech word horký, which means “hot.” In this case, the name could refer to individuals who were apparently fiery or passionate.
The Görl family is also one of several families with Protestant origins who became Lutherans. It is known that their ancestors were among the thousands of German families who left their homeland to settle in other parts of Europe in the 1600s and 1700s.
Today, the Görl name is common in cities as well as rural areas. It is often used as a middle name, and members of the Görl family can be found in all age groups and from a wide range of backgrounds.
Variations of the surname Görl
The surname Görl is a German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname, which literally means “lady” in German. The variants of the surname include Görlach, Görley, Gorl, Goerl, Goerlich, Görlich, Görlemann, Görlein, and Goerle.
All these spellings of the surname have the same origin—the German word “görl”—but can have multiple pronunciations. For example, in the case of Görlach, the vowel o can be pronounced as both a short and long “o”, like in the words “cot” and “coat” respectively.
Surnames that have the same origin as Görl include Görlitz, Goehrl, Goehler, Gorla, Goerlich, Gerlich, Görlich, and Göhrl. While some of these same-origin surnames are spelled similarly to Görl, others are slightly different but still have the same root, such as Göhrl and Goehrl.
In German-speaking countries, Görl is a fairly uncommon surname, although other surnames of the same origin are more prevalent.
In Jewish families, the same-origin surnames can trace back to Yiddish or Hebrew origin. For instance, Görlitz and Göhrl might come from an alteration of the Hebrew or Yiddish name ג׳ודלאך (Gudlakh), or can be a form of a locative name from the Middle High German “gör” meaning “dirt moor”.
Similarly, Gorla, Gerlich, and Görlich may have roots in various places in Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, with “gör” being the original root but with local variants.
Overall, the surname Görl and its variants is believed to be of German origin, referring to a person associated with or from a “dirt moor.” It has various spellings and associated surnames, all of which have the same root and may come from the Middle High German “gör.”
Famous people with the name Görl
- Helmut Görl: German soccer coach
- Uwe Görl: German journalist and news presenter
- Brian Görl: American musician
- Frank Görl: German musician
- Erich Görl: German painter
- Brigitte Görl: German actress
- Andrea Görl: German architect
- Christian Görl: Austrian composer
- Friedrich Görl: German physicist
- Konrad Görl: German singer
- Horst Görl: German astronomer
- Nadja Görl: German athlete
- Jana Görl: German actress
- Lew Görl: Soviet-born American painter
- Veronica Görl: German artist and sculptor