Surname Teilken - Meaning and Origin

Teilken: What does the surname Teilken mean?

The last name Teilken is of German origin. It comes from the name 'Tiling', which is derived from the German medieval given name 'Tilo'. The name Tilo is derived from an old German personal name of uncertain origin. It could have originally come from the German word 'teilen', which means 'to divide'.

Teilken is an occupational surname that was most commonly used to refer to a tradesman who was involved with dividing and measuring land. This could have been a surveyor, an estate manager, or a farmer who dealt with conserving land. In other contexts, the name Teilken has also been used to refer to someone who was a mathematician or a toolmaker for measuring tools.

The name has numerous variants, including Telken, Teelkken, Telken, Thielken, Teilk, Teylke, Teulke, and Tielken. These variants are especially common in Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.

Today, the Teilken surname is rarely found in Germany or the surrounding countries. While there is no exact estimate of how many people with the Teilken surname live in the world today, it is certainly quite rare, though it maintains its Germanic origin.

Teilken: Where does the name Teilken come from?

The last name Teilken is common primarily in Germany and the Netherlands today. Germany, in particular, has a large concentration of Teilken families, with more than 6,000 people bearing the name in the country. The large majority of those families are in the western and northern parts of the country, specifically in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein.

The Netherlands also has a substantial Teilken population, with over 1,000 people bearing the name in the country. Much like Germany, most of those families are located in the western and northern parts of the country. It is likely that the majority of Teilken families in the Netherlands are also of German descent, since the two countries share a border.

Outside of Europe, Teilken families can also be found in small numbers in the United States and Canada. Most of those families can trace their ancestry back to immigrants from Germany and the Netherlands in the 19th century.

In conclusion, the last name Teilken is most common in Germany and the Netherlands today, with smaller populations of the same family also located in the United States and Canada.

Variations of the surname Teilken

The surname Teilken has several different variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. The most common variants of Teilken are Tailken, Telken, Talken, Telkin, Teylken, and Teylkin.

The surname Tailken is a Dutch-origin variant of Teilken. It is found in various low-country countries, such as Netherlands, Belgium, and the Netherlands Antilles. The spelling of Tailken is usually pronounced as either “tale-ken” or “tail-ken”.

The surname Telken is a German variant of Teilken. It is commonly found in South Germany, and is often pronounced as “telle-ken”.

The surname Telkin is a Jewish-origin variant of Teilken. It is likely derived from the German and Yiddish terms “Teyl”, meaning son, and “Kohn”, meaning priest. This surname is commonly found among Jewish families in Europe, and is pronounced as “tale-kin”.

The surname Teylken is a Dutch-origin variant of Teilken. It is often pronounced as “tah-lye-ken” or “tee-sell-ken”.

The surname Teylkin is a Dutch-origin variant of Teilken. It is often pronounced as either “tah-lye-kin” or “tee-sell-kin”.

Finally, the spelling of Teilken is also found as Teelken, Teellken, and Teelkin. The pronunciation of Teelken is most likely a hybrid of the various variants and spellings, and is pronounced as “tee-el-ken”.

Famous people with the name Teilken

• Henning Teilké: This famous Danish director, producer, and screenwriter has been a part of the film industry since 1980. He is most notably known for directing the romantic comedy films ‘Kærlighed og krig’ (2003) and ‘Tutten & Fruen’ (2006).
• Gary Teilken: This popular American musician has been a member of the Eighties pop band ‘Herman Brood & His Wild Romance’ since 1984. He is also an established solo artist in his own right, releasing such singles as ‘The Night I First Met You’ in 1991.
• Meena Teilken-Gillett: This acclaimed German radio personality worked for the West German Radio Station ‘Deutsche Welle’ for more than twenty years. She was instrumental in launching the station’s English language program and hosted a number of radio shows on current affairs.
• Olive Teilken: This celebrated English novelist was best known for her fiction that explored the life of the rural working classes. She is remembered for her critically acclaimed works such as ‘Purple Dreams’ (1931) and ‘They Laughed’ (1939).
• Albert Teilken: This renowned Dutch architect specializing in large scale projects influenced by Modernism was active until his death in 1970. He is particularly remembered for the Volksspark Wonseradeel, his landscape project in Heiloo, the Netherlands.

Other surnames

Teilkemeier