Surname Kleinschulte - Meaning and Origin
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Kleinschulte: What does the surname Kleinschulte mean?
The last name Kleinschulte is a German surname which is derived from Old German words meaning “small/little school” or “small/little scholar”. It is believed that the name given to the bearer of the name was either given as a result of their profession – they were likely a teacher or scholar – or to describe the physical size of the person. It is also believed that the Kleinschulte surname may be a variant of the Kleinschmidt surname, which is similarly derived from German words meaning “small/little smith,” likely referring to a blacksmith.
However, the exact origin of the Kleinschulte surname is unknown, and there are several places in Germany with the Kleinschulte surname. In fact, Kleinschulte is the seventh most common last name in Germany as of1990, and is prevalent in the northwestern and lower central regions of the country.
The Kleinschulte name has been associated with many notable figures over the years such as the first French King, Henri III, German Olympic gold medalist Heike Drechsler, and United States senator, Bill Nelson. Today, many family members bearing the Kleinschulte surname still live in Germany, but the family legacy can be found in many countries across the world, likely as a result of migration.
Order DNA origin analysisKleinschulte: Where does the name Kleinschulte come from?
The last name Kleinschulte is most commonly found in Germany today, with a majority of the people bearing the name residing in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Kleinschulte surname first developed in Middle Ages Germany originally as a patronymic name derived from the popular personal name "Klein". At this time, a patronymic name was often one form of surname used, with German and Dutch languages being instrumental to the formation of new Germanic patronymic names.
In North Rhine-Westphalia today, there are still settlements by the name of Kleinschulte, a small hamlet dispersed into two streets, Kleinschulte Strasse, and Schulstrasse, near Oberhausen, Germany. Here, the Kleinschulte surname is still a prominent name to this day, with the family having a long standing connection to the area through landowning.
The name Kleinschulte is still holding strong in Germany, with other parts of Europe such as the Netherlands also having a scattering of those using the name. Nevertheless, the name Kleinschulte is still most strongly represented in its homeland of Germany.
Variations of the surname Kleinschulte
The surname Kleinschulte has several variants and spellings, including Kleinschmidt, Kleinschmit, Kleinschmid, Klainschmiedt, Kleinbindt, Kleinbeat, Kleinbedt, Kleinbess, Klebshien, Klepsschniedt, Klepschindt, Klepschint, Klepschneit, Klepschnerdt, Kleucht, Kleyntschmit, Klieck, Klynnsmitt, Klick, Klinbiedt, Kloenbiedt, Kloundt, Knorbeckshmidt, Knorbox, Knorr, Knoscht, Schnoors, and Shnorboes. These surnames all have the same basic origin.
Kleinschulte is a German surname derived from the old German "klein" meaning small and "schulte" or "schultheiss" meaning bailiff, or magistrate. Its variants are derived from the same root words, as evidenced by elements such as "schneit" meaning judge, "bedt" meaning tax collector, "beat" meaning steward, "biedt" meaning servant, and "schnoors" meaning judge.
Kleinschulte is also a variant of the more common name Kleinschmidt, with the added schmidt meaning smith, craftsman or metalworker. The variants and spellings that add the "schmidt" suffix to the original Kleinschulte name are common, and would indicate that the members of the family were from a smithing or craftsman background.
The variants and spellings of the Kleinschulte surname are commonly found in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States, and indicate a shared ancestry. No matter how the name is spelled, it alludes to the same basic origin - a German smith or craftsman connected to the office of magistrate or bailiff.
Famous people with the name Kleinschulte
- Philipp Kleinschulte: German jazz musician
- Guido Kleinschmidt: German pianist
- Danielle Kleinschmidt: Brazilian beauty pageant winner
- Jutta Kleinschmidt: German rally driver
- Axel Kleinschmidt: German football player
- Dominik Kleinschmidt: Austrian activist
- Anne Kleinschmidt: American sculptor
- Andreas Kleinschmidt: German artist
- Andrew Kleinschmidt: American actor
- Matthias Kleinschmidt: German conductor