Surname Thönes - Meaning and Origin
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Thönes: What does the surname Thönes mean?
The last name Thönes is of German origin and is derived from the first name "Thón," which is derived from the Germanic personal name "Thona" meaning courage and bravery. Thönes is a common family name among German-speaking people.
The Thönes name can be found in both Germany and Austria. It was also used in the Netherlands during the fifteenth century, when German immigrants settled in the country.
The Thönes surname in Germany and Austria has often been associated with entrepreneurial and business activities. Historically, the Thönes family was involved in a variety of industry, including textile manufacturing, banking, shipping, wine production, and more. The Thönes name has also been used for various noble titles.
The Thönes surname is still in use today, with many people bearing the name although it has a fairly limited distribution. Even so, its legacy is still recognizable and has been honored in various ways both in Germany and abroad. For instance, several local-level schools, streets, and other public sites around the world have been named after the Thönes family.
Overall, the Thönes surname carries a meaningful legacy, embracing a variety of industry-related entrepreneurial and noble activities. It continues to be an important part of German and Austrian culture, and is respected and honored around the world.
Order DNA origin analysisThönes: Where does the name Thönes come from?
The last name Thönes is found primarily throughout Germany, where an estimated 27,000 bearers of the name currently reside. The name is most common in the western and northern regions of the country, and is particularly densely concentrated in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. It is also found among German communities elsewhere, and can also be found in small numbers outside of Germany in Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, and other countries where German immigrants settled.
The name itself is of patronymic origin, derived from the personal name “Thon,” which was popular in the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from an older Germanic name of the same spelling, which was derived from the Latin “Tunus” and meant “wood-cutter” or “forest dweller.” This is corroborated by the fact that the earliest known bearer of the name is recorded as a wood cutter in the town of Magdeburg, Germany in the year 1224.
The bearers of the Thönes name can use the motto “Tut gut und geh gut” (“Do good, and go well”) as recognition of their common heritage. The related family crest for the Thönes line includes a black lion on a gold background, with a red background around its head.
Today, the last name Thönes is still an important part of German identity, with the name’s ancient roots still connected to its modern-day bearers. It is a testament to thirteenth-century beginnings of the last name, and the legacy of the Thönes family still lives on today.
Variations of the surname Thönes
The surname Thönes has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. Some of these include Thoene, Teune, Thöne, Thoenen, Thonemann, Toen, Teunis, Tönis, and Tonna.
The German language is the source of the surname, with Thönes being derived from the German word "Thöne," which itself comes from the Old High German word "thun." This word means an enclosure, such as a fence or hedge. Historically, people with the surname were likely to have been living in or near an enclosure, thus the surname was thought to have originated as a nickname.
The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Thönes all stem from a similar source. For example, Teune or Teunis likely derives from the German word "tunhe," which means a hedge or fence, and would have made an ideal nickname for someone living in or near one.
Thonemann is thought to come from the Middle High German word "Thuneman," which means a "man of the hedge." Thoenen is likely derived from the Dutch word "thouw," which also means hedge. Toen likely derives from the Dutch word "toone," which also means hedge, and Tönis or Tonna both derive from the German word "töne," which has the same meaning.
Overall, the surname Thönes has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin, with all of them likely deriving from similar words with related meanings. This is due to the language of origin, German, and the most likely nickname-like roots of the surname.
Famous people with the name Thönes
- Bent Thönes: Danish football manager
- Jens Thönes: German footballer
- August Thönes: German industrialist
- Peter Thönes: German entrepreneur
- Werner Thönes: German swimmer
- Christian Thönes: German sprint canoer
- Günter Thönes: German cyclist
- Ralph Thönes: German discus thrower
- Hermann Thönes: German medieval historian
- Berta Thönes: German poet
- Anne-Kathrin Thönes: German paralympic athlete
- Dietrich Thönes: German physicist
- Matthias Thönes: German painter
- Mirko Thönes: German entrepreneur
- Erich Thönes: German evangelist
- Friedel Thönes: German aviation pioneer
- Henrik Thönes: Danish musician
- Obed Thönes: German botanist
- Charlotte Thönes: German film actress
- Juan Thönes: German singer