Surname Niedringhausen - Meaning and Origin

Niedringhausen: What does the surname Niedringhausen mean?

The last name Niedringhausen is of German origin, and is a habitational name derived from a place called Niedringhausen located in North Rhine-Westphalia. The meaning of the name is thought to refer to 'low woods' or 'little timbered mountains'. This suggests that the area from which the name originated was surrounded by either low forested mountains or larger hills with scattered trees.

The use of habitational names in the German language began with the emergence of the feudal system during the 10th and 11th centuries. Speakers of the language would often take the name of a village, town, or region as their family name. This was even more likely for those families who were native to the area since they did not have a more traditional surname from a previous generation.

Niedringhausen is just one example of such a name. The habitational name denotes a connection to a particular place and the tribe or family-line associated with it. German immigrants of the name Niedringhausen trace their origin to this original location in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Niedringhausen: Where does the name Niedringhausen come from?

The last name Niedringhausen is more commonly found in Germany, particularly in the Westphalia region. Here, the population of people with this surname is estimated to be around 6,000. Due to migration over the years, it is now found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, though in smaller numbers.

The origin of the name appears to originate from Germany in the Early Middle Ages. It can be deduced that the name originated from the river name Niederung which translates to lowlands or a low-lying area. The “hausen” suffix was likely attached to denote the family came from that region.

The name is also connected to several known noble families in Germany. For example, the Niedringhausen family of Westphalia is known to have a noble lineage dating back to 1169. Today, members of the family are widely scattered throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

To this day, the presence of the surname Niedringhausen is still fairly strong in Germany, especially Westphalia. As generations have passed and changed locations, the name is now known worldwide thanks to immigration and travel.

Variations of the surname Niedringhausen

The Niedringhausen surname has a variety of variants, spellings, and alternate surnames which all have their origin in Germany.

Niedringhausen is most commonly spelt as Niedringhausen, but alternate spellings such as Nidringhausen, Niedringehausen, Nidringehausen, Nieringhausen, and Nierringehausen can be found. The combination of double 'e' spelling in 'Niedringehausen' is very common.

Alternate surnames of the same origin, that were originally considered different spellings of the same surname, include Niederhousen, Niederhausen, Nidhousen, Nidhausen, Niderhousen, Niderhausen, Nierhousen, Nierhausen, and Nierrinkhausen.

Throughout the centuries, in a process called 'soundexing', the various versions of the Niedringhausen surname have been brought together under ‘same sound’ spellings - hence alternate spellings and variants of the name, such as Methinghausen, Methinghousen, Mittringhausen, Mittringhousen and Nedringhausen.

The name is typically found throughout the Rhineland region of Germany. It is now present in other countries as well, as many of the German immigrants carried the surname with them to other countries such as the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Famous people with the name Niedringhausen

• Garrett Niedringhaus: American former professional baseball player who played for the minor league teams of the Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals.
• Rik Niedringhaus: German music producer who worked on albums for artists such as 2raumwohnung, Die Fantastischen Vier, and Xavier Naidoo.
• Karl Niedringhaus: Member of the Advisory Committee and founding member of the Association of Creative Technologies in Germany. He was also one of the first researchers to investigate computer music.
• James Niedringhaus: American former professional soccer player who played in the North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 1980s. He played for the New York Cosmos, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Minnesota Kicks.
• Marsha Niedringhaus: American businesswoman and an inductee into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame. She has also served on the executive board of the Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball.
• Teague Niedringhaus: American professional record producer and audio engineer who has worked with bands such as alt-J, Band of Horses, and Kaleo.
• Kirsten Niedringhaus: German graphic designer and teacher whose books on graphic design and visual communication are esteemed by a generation of students.
• Paul Niedringhaus: American former professional golfer who had four wins on the PGA Tour, including the 1976 Greater Milwaukee Open.
• Thomas Niedringhaus: German historian who researches medieval urban history and the explication of urban records. He’s also a professor of medieval studies at the University of Cologne.

Other surnames

Niedringhaus