Surname Guthe - Meaning and Origin
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Guthe: What does the surname Guthe mean?
The surname Guthe is of German origin, and is derived from the Middle High German words "gut" and "heide" which together mean "good heath". In medieval times, the name was most likely given to someone living in an area abundant with shrubs and trees. It is believed to be a topographical name in reference to the heaths or moors near a person's home.
Throughout centuries, the surname has evolved many variations in spelling, which include Gote, Gothe, Gota and Göthe. It is quite a common surname in modern-day Germany and is also found in other European countries such as Poland, Denmark and Switzerland.
The Guthe family name has likely been around in its various forms since 12th century Germany. The name itself could be indicative of a particular vocation or craft, a geographic location, in recognition of a god or its patron saint; persons with this name could be related to a profession such as a miner, a soldier, a farmer, or even a blacksmith.
Today there are many notable people with the surname Guthe, including German composer Emil Guthe, German historian Johann Gottlieb Güthe who was a professor at the University of Jena, and German researcher Wilhelm Guthe, who was a professor at the University of Göttingen and wrote extensively about dinosaurs.
The surname Guthe continues to exist today, not only as a surname but also as a reminder of its long-standing history in Germany and Europe.
Order DNA origin analysisGuthe: Where does the name Guthe come from?
The last name Guthe is most commonly found in Germany today. In the 1920s, there were many people in Germany with the name Guthe, and the name is believed to have been derived from the German city of Gütersloh. Records show that Guthe is the 40th most common surname in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. According to the German phone directory, there are roughly 6,000 people living in Germany who have the last name Guthe.
Some people with the last name Guthe may have moved elsewhere, such as to the United States, Canada or other countries with large German populations. Records from the United States Census Bureau indicate that the number of Guthe families living in the United States as of 2017 was 477. Minnesota had the largest population of Guthe families with 92 people having the last name Guthe. Other states with substantial Guthe populations are California, Wisconsin, New York, Iowa and Illinois.
While it is difficult to trace the family history of Guthe with certainty, research suggests it is a name of German origin that predates the 16th century. Many with the last name have lived in Germany for centuries, making it quite common in the country.
Today, Guthe is most commonly found in the country of Germany. With the many Guthe families that now live in the United States, it is likely the name will continue to be found throughout North America in the years ahead.
Variations of the surname Guthe
Guthe is a German surname derived from the word gut, meaning “good”. It is most commonly seen as Guthe, but other variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Gutt, Gott, Gött, Göthe, Goote, Gothe, Goot, Gotha, Gottschalk, Gottshalk, Götsch, Goetx, and Gootz.
Guthe is a relatively uncommon surname, but it is most prominently found in the German states of Schleswig-Holstein, Thüringen and Lower Saxony. It is also found in countries with significant German populations, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Guthe is a nickname form of the given name Gotthold, which is derived from the medieval Germanic given name Godhold, meaning “God is glorious”. The given name was first recorded in medieval sources, and developed into the surname Guthe over the centuries.
Guthe is the most common spelling of the surname, but variations include Gothe, Gott and Göthe. All of these surnames have the same etymological origin, but there are subtle differences in spelling and pronunciation between them.
Goot is another variant of the surname Guthe, and is more common in Belgium and the Netherlands. Goote is another variant more commonly found in Germany, while Gottschalk and Gottshalk are more common in Switzerland.
Götsch is a variant of Guthe that is more prominent in Austria and South Tyrol, and is pronounced “ge-tsch”. The other variants such as Goetx, Gootz and Gotha are less common, but all trace their origins to the same surname, Guthe.
Famous people with the name Guthe
- Carl Guthe, a physicist and archaeologist who was a major figure in establishing the field of experimental archaeology.
- Christine Guthe, a painter and graphic artist in the Bauhaus art movement.
- Finn Christian Guthe, a German geologist and glaciologist.
- Karl Guthe, a German organic chemist and first professor of organic chemistry at the University of Leipzig.
- Michael Guthe, a German football goalkeeper who currently plays for FSV Zwickau.
- Robert Guthe, a German-American physicist who served as director and caretaker of the Pasadena Museum of Modern Art.
- Tobias Guthe, a German historical linguist and specialist in the Romance and Germanic branches of Indo-European linguistics.
- John Guthe, a British-American artist, writer, and advocate of Creative Sharing and Ecomodernism.
- Friedrich Maximilian von Guthe, a Prussian artillery officer and military theorist.
- Arnold Guthe, a German-born American physical anthropologist and professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.