Surname Mühlmann - Meaning and Origin
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Mühlmann: What does the surname Mühlmann mean?
The last name Mühlmann is of German origin. The meaning of it is “miller’s man”, which originally referred to someone who worked at a mill or grinds millstones. It is believed to have originated in Germany in the 15th century, along with other milling related surnames such as Müller, Maler, Mayer, and Maurer.
Millers were craftsmen and vital members of the medieval economy providing services such as milling grain, sawing lumber, and grinding spices. They also served as lenders and creditors. A Mühlmann would assist either as an apprentice or an assistant miller. Therefore, the name was most likely first used to refer to someone who worked at or managed a mill; however, over time it has also presented itself as a surname outside of the miller’s man profession.
The Mühlmann family name has been associated with families or people who lived in various parts of Germany including Bavaria, the Rhineland-Palatinate, and East and West Prussia. It can now be found throughout the world, with notable people who have bear it including prominent German poet and playright, Peter Mühlmann, and controversial lawyer, convict, and politician, Hans Ferdinand Mühlmann.
Order DNA origin analysisMühlmann: Where does the name Mühlmann come from?
The last name Mühlmann is most commonly found in Germany today. According to a Germany-based genealogy site, Mühlmann is a geographic surname, which originated in a place called “Mühlmannen.”
Despite the perhaps mysterious origins of the name, it is most common in the country nowadays. According to Ancestry.com, the last name Mühlmann is mostly distributed in Bavaria, the largest state in Germany. It is even the 542nd most common last name in Bavaria, and the 835th most common surname in all of Germany.
However, not all families that share the last name Mühlmann are originally from Bavaria, or even Germany. The name can also be found throughout other Germanic countries such as Austria and Switzerland, as well as in other European countries like the Netherlands.
It should be noted that due to the dramatic changes in population caused by World War II, the name Mühlmann also spread to other parts of the world. According to the Social Security Administration, the surname Mühlmann can also be found in the United States, where it is among the 15,614th most common surname and appears to be most popular in Pennsylvania, California and Florida.
Variations of the surname Mühlmann
The surname Mühlmann is a German-language surname, typically originating from Mühlheim, a town in Germany. It is derived from the Middle High German word 'mulinman'/'muehlman', meaning 'miller'.
The usual spelling of the Mühlmann surname is Mühlmann, but there are a range of variants spelling it with different letter combinations.
Variant 1: Muellermann
This is the most common alternative spelling for the Mühlmann surname, and is essentially spelt the same, but with one transposed letter: an 'e' instead of an 'u'.
Variant 2: Mulmann
This is another two-letter transposition of the Mühlmann surname, but this time substituting an 'l' for the 'ue'.
Variant 3: Muehlman
This variant of the Mühlmann surname is spelt almost exactly the same, but interestlingly replaces the 'ü' character with standard English letters.
Variant 4: Mühlman
This variant of the Mühlmann surname is the same as the original, only without the extra 'n' at the end of the surname.
Variant 5: Milmann
This variant of the Mühlmann surname is slightly more unusual, and has replaced the 'hl' of 'Mühlmann' with 'il'.
Surnames of the same origin
As the Mühlmann surname is an alternative spelling of 'Miller', there are many other surnames derived from the same origin, most easily recognisable in a range of English-language surnames.
English-language surnames: Mill, Mills, Millar, Millard, Milligan, Millner, and Mullin.
There are also many alternative spellings in other languages, such as 'Molinari' (Italian); 'Moliner' (Spanish); 'Müller/Müllner' (German); 'Meuleman/Molenaar' (Dutch); 'Mölnar' (Swedish); 'Molenda/Młynarz' (Polish); and 'Moulinier' (French).
Famous people with the name Mühlmann
- Fritz Mühlmann: German Architect and Scholar of the Ancient and Middle Ages
- Michael Mühlmann: German physicist
- Henryk Mühlmann: Polish right-wing intellectual and journalist
- Manfred Mühlmann: German art historian and professor of history
- Dirk Mühlmann: German footballer
- Stefan Mühlmann: German physicist
- Thomas Mühlmann: Austrian actor
- Harald Mühlmann: German footballer
- Stani Mühlmann: Belgian artist
- Paul Mühlmann: German businessman and entrepreneur