Surname Forchheimer - Meaning and Origin
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Forchheimer: What does the surname Forchheimer mean?
The last name Forchheimer is of German origin and is derived from the words "Förg" and "Heimer" which roughly translate to "forge home". The original family likely descended from craftspeople who worked as metalworkers or armorers, possessing the skills to craft weapons or domestic items made of metal.
The Forchheimer name first appeared in the German states during the 12th century, and by the time of the Protestant Reformation in 1517, Merhard and his brother Heinrich Forchheimer were already living in Worms. Over the centuries, members of the family spread out of Germany and eventually settled in places all over the world, from Paraguay and Argentina to America and England.
In the United States, the first known ancestor of the Forchheimer family was Friedrich Forchheimer, who arrived in New York in 1710. He was later joined by his two brothers, who regrouped in Philadelphia by the 1720s. After that, the Forchheimer name rapidly spread across the country as members of the family migrated to Ohio, Maryland, New Jersey, and many other states.
Today, the Forchheimer name is most commonly associated with two distinct branches: the Forchheimer-Rosenstiehl and Forchheimer-Feist branches. Both branches trace their roots back to Friedrich and his two brothers, and the two lines have reunited in recent decades as members of the family have reconnected and rediscovered their shared ancestry.
Order DNA origin analysisForchheimer: Where does the name Forchheimer come from?
The last name Forchheimer is most commonly found today in countries with significant Jewish populations, particularly in Israel and the United States. Most people bearing the name Forchheimer are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
The surname is derived from a northern German town called Forchheim, and was used to identify a person who had come from that particular locality. In the mid-to-late 19th century, the Jewish population in Forchheim was heavily persecuted, resulting in many of its Jews emigrating to other parts of Europe and, eventually, to the United States.
The Forchheimers who ended up in the United States settled in major cities including New York, Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia. In the US, variations on the name include Forcheimer, Fochheimer, Forschheimer, Forsheimer, Forshimer and Forssheimer.
The Forchheimers largely kept their customs and traditions, and were highly active in the world of business. Members of the family have occupied positions of responsibility within the American Jewish community.
Today, members of the Forchheimer family can be found in countries around the globe. Whether it be in the bustling cities of the United States, the sun-soaked land of Israel, or the misty villages of Eastern Europe, the name Forchheimer is still very much alive.
Variations of the surname Forchheimer
The Forchheimer surname is believed to have originated in Hesse, Germany which is an area located in western Germany. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for this surname are:
Forkalimer, Forschheimer, Fosheimer, Forchheimer, Forshein, Farshimites, Farschimeth, Farchheimer, Forschimi, Fershimer, Farchimeister, Forka, Forchimes, Forscheim, Fucher, Fuchheim, Fuchheimer, and Fuchhaimer.
The surname Forchheimer has a few different variants, which are all derived from the original Forchheimer. The variations are believed to be somewhat localized, as they have been passed down from region to region. One variant of the surname is Forschheimer, which is found mainly in the towns and villages around Frankfurt and Mainz in Germany. This variant is also found in other areas in the United States, due to German immigrants bringing the name to the states.
The surname Fosheimer is another variant of the Forchheimer surname. This spelling is found mainly in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, which is where many members of the Forchheimer family had settled. The Fosheimer spelling is found mainly in the villages around the city of Kheti, which is located to the south of Heidelberg.
The surname Forkalimer is a variation of the Forchheimer surname. This variant is found mainly in the small villages around the city of Weimar in Germany. The Forkalimer spelling is found mainly in the surrounding towns and villages, and has remained relatively unchanged over the centuries, as has the original Forchheimer spelling.
The surname Farchheimer is another variant of the original Forchheimer. This particular spelling is found mainly in Austria, which is where many of the original Forchheimer family had moved to. The Farchheimer variant is believed to have spread to areas in the United States, due to German immigrants who brought the name with them when they moved to the states.
The Forchheimer surname is a widespread family name and appears in a variety of different spellings and variants. All of these different spellings and variants are derived from the original Forchheimer surname, and are believed to have originated from Germany. Despite the many different variations of the name, the original Forchheimer spelling is still found among many people all over the world.
Famous people with the name Forchheimer
- Arthur Forchheimer (1861-1940): German-born American lawyer and business executive who moved to New York in 1896 and worked as an attorney in the banking and financial industry.
- Helmut Forchheimer (1925-2013): German mathematician who was known as the father of computer algebra for his work in bringing automated theorem-proving to the field of symbolic computation.
- Franz Forchheimer (1852-1933): Hungarian civil engineer who invented the Forchheimer equation to predict resistance in pipe flow.
- Fred Forchheimer (1891-1961): American biochemist who developed the Forchheimer equation that applies to stable colloidal dispersion of small particles in a inert liquid.
- Alexander Forchheimer (1850-1917): Russian microbiologist who published works on water purification techniques still widely used in modern water treatment.
- Heinrich Forchheimer (1846-1913): German gynecologist who founded a clinic to treat female diseases and authored several medical textbooks.
- Salomon Forchheimer (1863-1925): Austrian-American zoologist and evolutionary geneticist who taught at the University of Vienna and wrote extensively on heredity and genetics.
- Leopold Forchheimer (1863-1940): Austrian Jewish medical doctor and ophthalmologist who wrote the influential book 'The Physiology of Vision.'
- Max Forchheimer (1891-1953): German geographer and climatologist who published books and studies about the atmosphere and developed a scale for atmospheric pressure.