Surname Greißle - Meaning and Origin

Greißle: What does the surname Greißle mean?

The last name Greißle is thought to have originated in southern German/Bavarian regions. It is derived from the Middle High German word "grieges," which means "grit" or "gravel." This indicates that the original bearer of the name was most likely connected to the gravel-mining business or the trade of grit or gravel.

The oldest records of the name date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, mainly in Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate. The Greißles are thought to have been a family of farmers or workers in those areas, and over time different branches of the family spread out throughout Germany, Austria, and other European countries such as Switzerland.

Today, "Greißle" remains a fairly uncommon last name among those with German backgrounds or ancestry. It is believed that there are only approximately 2,000 people currently bearing this name. It is possible, however, that due to immigration to other countries, along with the possibility of name changes or regional name variants, the amount of people with the last name Greißle may be much larger than that.

In general, the last name Greißle is indicative of an origin in southern Germany and a likely connection to the gravel-mining business.

Greißle: Where does the name Greißle come from?

The last name Greißle is most commonly found in former German-speaking countries, including: Austria, Germany, Czechia, Poland, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. It is an old German name from the Middle Ages which first appeared in records during the 16th century.

Currently there are roughly 150 people with the last name Greißle in Austria, with a majority living in Upper Austria and Vienna. Czechia has the second highest population of Greißle's; 30 people. Poland and Germany follow with 10 and 25 people, respectively. Additionally, there are 3-5 Greißle's in both Switzerland and Luxembourg.

The last name Greißle is not widely popular due to its rareness. While sowesterbund.de and the Forum der Familiennamen recognize the name, there is not a lot of information known about its origins other than that it is German in origin and is estimated to at least 600 years old.

Many families with the last name Greißle have emigrated from their native countries, with some settling in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. As such, there are many more Greißles living in other countries, though hard statistics are unavailable.

For anyone looking to trace their family tree, websites such as Ancestry.com are a great place to begin; from here, people can explore records such as baptismal records, census records, and land records. This can allow them to discover where previous generations of Greißles likely descended from.

Variations of the surname Greißle

The surname Greißle has a few variants and spellings due to slight differences in pronunciation across different languages and regions. Some of these variants are Greisle, Griesle, Grisly, Gresly, Greil, Graisly, and Greissle.

The origin of the surname Greißle is unclear, yet some claim it might be of Bavarian or Alsatian origin. It could also have derived from the German surname Grießler, which is derived from the word Grieß, meaning semolina in German. The semantic origin of the surname reflects someone who was a miller and had access to semolina-based products.

Other variants of the Greißle surname exist in other languages, such as in Italian or French, where it is spelled Grisella. The English stages for the German surname Greißle would be Greesley, Greasely, Greasly, and Greasley. It also has Polish variants Greszli, Greszla, and Grezlowa, as well as Czech variant Greszler.

The surname Greißle is mostly found in certain european countries, such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Poland, Czech Republic and Italy. It is also found in several states in the US, especially those with larger German-speaking populations.

The surnames Griesly, Gresly, Greil, and Graisly are common English transliterations of the German surname Greißle. Some of these variants are sometimes used interchangeably, while other variants may reflect more distant spelling variations and family links to earlier generations. One typical variant of the Greißle surname is Greisly, which is the English spelling derived from the German word Greißle.

Famous people with the name Greißle

• Hans Greißle: German politician and Minister of the Interior from 1933 to 1945.
• Jonas Greißle: German painter and sculptor.
• Karl Greißle: German industrial machine constructor and grain miller.
• Georg Greißle: German surgeon and public health officer.
• Johann Greißle: German theologian and historian.
• Rudolf Greißle: German mayor of Nurtingen, Wurttemberg from 1898 to 1935.
• Weber Greißle: German politician and mayor of Freising from 1908 to 1913.
• Albrecht Greißle: German mountain climber, postal service deputy and director of a philatelic collection.
• Johanna Greißle: Austrian opera singer.
• Gilda Greißle: Argentine civil engineer.
• Philipp Greißle: German bell ringer and art collector.
• Norbert Greißle: German painter, graphic artist and art teacher.
• Wilhelm Greißle: German architect and urban planner.
• Marie Greißle: South African fashion designer.
• Timothy Greißle: American cinematographer.
• August Greißle: German imprint producer.
• Johannes Greißle: German mayor of Illingen, Baden from 1913 to 1932.
• Wolfgang Greißle: Austrian musician and composer.
• Karl Ludwig Greißle: German professor of geology and paleontology and professor at the University of Freiburg.
• Kurt Greißle: German artist and interior designer.

Other surnames

GreißlGreißler