Surname Pöheim - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'P'
Pöheim: What does the surname Pöheim mean?
The surname Pöheim is of German origin and is derived from two Middle High German words - pou (which means “head”) and heim (which means “home”). Translated literally, the surname can mean “head home” or “person's home”.
A person with this last name would historically have been the head of a household and was likely a leader in the community. The surname would have likely been given to the firstborn son and passed down through the generations for a family line.
Pöheim was derived from the palatine region of the Rhineland, which is now the western part of Germany. The adjective form of the surname is “Pöheimisch”, which describes something that comes from this area.
The name could have also been used in the tradition of "placenaming," when a person's family moved and established a new home near a particular landscape feature. For example when the family settled near a hill or a meadow, the firstborn son of that family was often given the surname Pöheim to indicate that he was the “head of the home” on that new hill or meadow.
In Germany, the number of people with the surname Pöheim is quite low. For this reason, some people with this last name may be related. Whether you are a distant relative or just a casual acquaintance, there's a sense of connection when you meet another person with the same last name. They're part of your family tree.
Order DNA origin analysisPöheim: Where does the name Pöheim come from?
The last name Pöheim is most commonly seen in Germany today. Many Pöheims currently reside in Bavaria in southern Germany where the name is believed to have originated centuries ago.
The name Pöheim is first found in Bavaria in the late 13th century. It is a local name derived from several places called "Pöheim" in Bavaria. The root of the name likely refers to a combination of the German words "po" meaning " rotten" and "heim" meaning "home," likely referring to an area that was low or swampy in some manner.
In addition to Bavaria, Pöheim is a common surname in other German speaking countries such as Austria and Switzerland. It can also be found in countries with significant German immigration such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Argentina.
The name Pöheim is a proud reminder of the ancestors of the bearer and their home in Germany. It carries with it a sense of tradition and pride in the family’s importance in Bavarian history. Additionally, those with the name Pöheim can often take comfort in knowing that they share a strong connection with hundreds of other people around the world who also carry the name.
Variations of the surname Pöheim
Pöheim is a German surname of Bavarian origin. It is found mostly in the state of Bavaria, in the region of Franconia. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Pöheim include:
Poehaim, Poeheim, Pohehim, Poheim, Pohimm, Pohim, Poham, Poam, Pagheim, Pagem, and Pacehm.
The surname Pöheim originated more than 700 years ago, with the earliest known records dating back to 1349 AD in Germany. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German peheim, which meant protector or guardian. The original spelling was almost certainly Peheim, and evolved over the centuries into the modern spelling.
It is possible that people bearing this surname are descendants of the Frankish tribe known as the Pagus Menapiorum, which means the country of Menapii. This tribe formed a part of the Franconian region in Bavaria, which is where the surname Pöheim originated.
There is also evidence that it could be derived from the Latin pagus, which means a region or area. This could have been a place name at one point, and families bearing this surname could have come from this region.
In addition, the surname could have been derived from the Old German word pach, which is an old term for land or property. People bearing this surname might have originally been a landowner or a tenant of a piece of land, or a protector of it.
Regardless of its origin, the surname Pöheim remains a testament to the rich cultural history of Bavaria. It is a symbol of pride for many of those that bear it, and the variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Pöheim are a reminder of how far the Pöheim family has come over the centuries.
Famous people with the name Pöheim
- Julia Pöheim: a German television and film actress.
- Christine Pöheim: an Austrian rower.
- Peter Pöheim: a German film and television composer.
- Hubert Pöheim: Austrian alpine skier.
- Werner Pöheim: German actor.
- Sebastian Pöheim: German biathlete.
- Karin Pöheim: German development aid expert and former Vice President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
- Markus Pöheim: a German artist, academic and art critic.
- Martin Pöheim: a former German luge athlete who competed in the late 1950s and 1960s.
- Johannes Pöheim: 1930's Nazi Luftwaffe General.