Surname Heymann - Meaning and Origin

Unraveling My Jewish Roots Through iGENEA: A Heymann Surname Surprise

A journey into my past with an iGENEA DNA test surprisingly revealed Jewish roots hidden in the lineage of my surname. The experience was filled with unexpected revelations about the history of the Heymann name.

P. Heymann

Heymann: What does the surname Heymann mean?

The surname Heymann is a German occupational surname derived from the Middle German heimen, meaning ‘home’. The name may have referred to someone who owned a large estate, or possibly a member of a prestigious family. It is also possible that the name may have originated from a medieval baronial noble family.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Heymann surname was commonly associated with the aristocracy in Germany. It was a fairly common title for kings, princes, and other royal families. The name is commonly found in royal family trees, such as the later Prussian and German ruling families of Hohenzollern and Habsburg. The Heymann surname is also found among some of the most prominent families of Dutch, Belgian, and Swiss nobility.

Outside of noble circles, the surname Heymann is still used by many German and Jewish families of European descent. Today, Heymann is a fairly common surname in many countries with German heritage, including the United States. As with other German-speaking surnames, the spelling of Heymann may vary slightly from one country to another.

Heymann: Where does the name Heymann come from?

Heymann is an uncommon surname originating from Germanic-speaking areas including modern day Germany and Austria. Today, it is most commonly found in sizable populations in the United States, Canada, and other countries with immigrants from German-speaking countries.

In the United States, Heymann is most predominantly found in the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, and Arizona. Within Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is the largest population center for the surname Heymann. This is likely because Philadelphia was one of the main ports for immigration to this country during the 18th and 19th centuries.

In Canada, the majority of people with the last name Heymann reside in the provinces of Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Ontario.

In terms of international locations, the surname appears to be most common in Argentina, following large-scale immigration from German-speaking countries that occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Interestingly, there is also a notable presence of the surname in both Israel and South Africa, with the former due to German Jews moving to Israel in the 20th century, and the latter corresponding to a period of immigration from Germany to South Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Overall, the Heymann surname is spreading around the globe, as the genealogy of this surname reveals a highly diverse international presence.

Variations of the surname Heymann

The Heymann surname has several variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. The most common variant is Heimann, a German spelling of the name. Other variants of the same origin include Heim, Heemann, Heimanns, Heyman, Heimen, Heimanns, and Heimans. The surname can have multiple spellings, such as Heyman, Heynan, Heimann, Heymanns, Hyman, and Hymanns. Additionally, a person with the surname Heymann can have derivative surnames, such as Heimer, Hyems, Hymans, Heyne, Heiman, Heilman, and Heimers.

The Heymann surname is derived from the given name “Heinrich”. This popular given name is derived from the old Germanic words “Heim” or “Haim” meaning “home” and “ric” meaning “ruler”, making “Heinrich” a name with the literal meaning of “ruler of the home”. This Germanic name evolved over time to become the surnames Heimann, Heymann, and Heimanns due to changes in language and spelling.

The Heymann surname is most commonly found in Germany, France, and Austria, but can also be found in other parts of Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. The surname has been used by various members of royalty, including a count of Saxony in the 14th century, a Bavarian field marshal, and a Prussian general. Today, the variants and spellings of the Heymann surname continue to be used by many individuals around the world.

Famous people with the name Heymann

• Max Heymann: German Social Democratic Party politician
• Simeon Heymann: Romanian lawyer and politician
• Yvonne Heymann: German actress
• Wolf Heymann: German politician
• Edward Heymann: German landscape painter
• August Heymann: German opera composer
• Georg Heymann: German linguist and philologist
• Alfred Heymann: German opera conductor
• Willy Heymann: German cabaret performer
• Wilhelm Heymann: German botanist and mycologist
• Herbert Heymann: German art historian
• Meir Heymann: German-born Israeli rabbi
• Siegfried Heymann: German painter
• Adam Heymann: author, journalist, and media mogul
• Yechiel Heymann: Chabad Hasidic rabbi
• Berthold Heymann: German architect
• Manfred Heymann: German psychiatrist
• Theodor Heymann: German novelist and author
• Otto Heymann: German painter and illustrator
• Julius Heymann: German banker and industrialist

Other surnames

Heymanns