Surname Greissl - Meaning and Origin
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Greissl: What does the surname Greissl mean?
The last name Greissl is an Austrian surname which is derived from the German word "greis" meaning "gray" or "aged". This was likely given to a family of gray-haired or elderly people. The Greissl surname is common throughout Central Europe, particularly in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
The most likely origin of the surname is from a personal name given to descendants of an elder in a family. This would mean that the family was descended from a considerable amount of prominence and age. This could be a notable Elderly member of a community, or a religious figure such as a priest or rabbi.
The Greissl name is also an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a weaver. The German word for weaver is "greiser". It is likely that this name was given to a master weaver or someone who worked with gray cloth.
The Greissl surname can also be found in Jewish families in certain parts of Central Europe. Jewish surnames usually denoting from their occupations or correspond to a similar name found in another language such as Yiddish or Hebrew. The Greissl surname likely originated from a Hebrew personal name derived from the name "Yaakov", which means supplanter.
The Greissl surname is an old and respected Austrian name. It has many different possible origins, including personal names, occupations, and even religious figure. It has been passed down for generations and is still a common surname throughout Central Europe today.
Order DNA origin analysisGreissl: Where does the name Greissl come from?
The last name Greissl can be found most commonly in Germany and Austria today. It is derived from the Middle High German Gresel, which was an occupational name given to a saltern worker. A saltern was a facility where salt was produced from seawater, so it can be assumed that those in medieval times bearing this last name were employed in this occupation.
The name can also be found in various parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. It is also not unheard of to find the name in certain parts of the United States, particularly the upper Midwest and parts of New York.
In Germany, the name Greissl is most prevalent in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, as well as the city of Frankfurt am Main. It also has an established presence in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The spelling of the name can sometimes appear as Greysl or Greißl, and the written form of the name can be found in numerous records and documents from centuries past.
Although the name is not common as it once was, many individuals still exist today that continue to bear this last name and proudly proclaim their ancestry.
Variations of the surname Greissl
The surname Greissl (also spelled Greißl) is a Germanic toponymic surname — derived from the German word ‘greis’ meaning ‘grey’ — referring to someone originally from Greyland, a region now located in Bavaria. It is an uncommon but regionally-distributed surname today, with variations including Greyßl, Greyßel, Graußl, Greißler, Griesel, Griesler, Greisl, Greisler and Graußer.
The Greissl surname is found throughout the United States, particularly in the Pennsylvania-German Pennsylvania Dutch region where it was among the early German settlers to the region, arriving as early as the late 17th century. Greissls are also found in Eastern European countries including Croatia, Hungary, and Slovakia, where alternative spellings such as Griešl, Gréisz, Grišel and Greišel are used.
The variant Graußl and its subsequent spellings derive from the Bavarian and Austrian dialect ‘graußl’, meaning ‘gravel’ which is probably a reference to the stoniness of the terrain in Greyland. Greißler and Griesel come from the local word for ‘grey’, Greiß, while Greisler is derived from the German word Greis, meaning ‘old man’.
The Greyland town of Greisburg in Bavaria is a cultural centre of the Greissl surname worldwide, where many descendants of the Greissl family still reside. Here, the surname is pronounced ‘graysl’ and is very common. The Greissl name is also found in New York City, where a twin brother team known as ‘The Greissl brothers’ was an important prankster and jokester group in the 1970s.
In summary, the surname Greissl has many regional variations, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. It is a toponymic-based, derived from the region of Greyland, with many descendants of the Greissl family still living in Greisburg, Bavaria and throughout the United States.
Famous people with the name Greissl
- Ashleigh Greissl: Ashleigh Greissl is a professional stuntwoman and actress.
- Christian Greissl: Christian Greissl is an Austrian music producer and songwriter.
- Günter Greissl: Günter Greissl was a German ballet dancer and critic.
- Ida Greissl: Ida Greissl is a figure competitor and fitness influencer.
- Julius Greissl: Julius Greissl was a Czechoslovakian middle-distance runner.
- Maximilian Greissl: Maximilian Greissl was a German philologist and historian.
- Otto Greissl: Otto Greissl was a German librarian and generalkomituar.
- Robert Greissl: Robert Greissl is an Austrian alpine ski racer.
- Talisa Greissl: Talisa Greissl was an Austrian luger.
- Wilma Greissl: Wilma Greissl was a German writer and journalist.