Surname Saturday – Eichendorff

Hello,

This my version of Saturday’s daily blogging theme. This week will be focused on the Eichendorff surname. 

Surname Pronunciation Eichendorff (Polish) – ei chen dorff – listen to it here: Eichendorff
Surname Pronunciation Eckendorf (American) – ec ken dorf – listen to it here: Eckendorf

Surname Meaning: Eichendorff –  derived from the word “Eich” (oak) and “dorf” (village). German in origin. (Source: Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, Second Edition by William F. Hoffman)

Roots of Surname: 

Public Profiler’s World Overview Map of the Eichendorff Surname:

Top Five Countries: Germany, France, Poland, and the United States.
Top Five Regions: Bradenburg, Germany; Basse-Normandie, France; Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; Opolskie, Poland; and Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.
Top Ten Cities: Munster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany; Milmerdorf, Bradenburg, Germany; Munchen, Bayern, Germany; Dusseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany; Maikammer, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; Bad Waldsee, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany; Bad Neuenahr – Ahrw., Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; Weitersburg, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; Niederwerth, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; and Oelde, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

Public Profiler Worldnames. (2010). Surname Eichendorff Poland Localities Map. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/Default.aspx?country_code=PL

The area of Pomorskie, specifically Kartuzy and Kościerzyna, is the focus of my research for my Eichendorff ancestry. Unfortunately, there are no longer any Eichendorff’s living in this area. They are either living in America or Germany.

Public Profiler’s Europe Distribution Map of the Eichendorff Surname: 

Public Profiler Worldnames. (2010). Surname Eichendorff Europe Map. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/Default.aspx?region=!WORLD-EUROPE

Public Profiler’s Germany Distribution Map of the Eichendorff Surname: 

Public Profiler Worldnames. (2010). Surname Eichendorff Germany Map. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/Default.aspx?country_code=DE

Moikrewni. (2010). Statystyka: Liczby do nazwiska ‘Eichendorff‘. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from
http://www.moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/eichendorff.html

Public Profiler Worldnames. (2010). Surname Eckendorf North American Map. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/Default.aspx?region=!WORLD–USCA

The Eichendorff surname is Germanic in origin and my Eichendorff ancestry more than likely started with Germanic roots. My Eichendorff ancestors lived in the Kashubian region of Poland. Similar to my Kobs ancestors, my Eichendorff’s have seemed to always marry a Kashubian husband or wife, lived in Polish/Kashubian communities, claimed to be Polish on censuses, and attended Polish/Kashubian Catholic churches. From the information that I have gathered, my Eichendorff’s may have been German and then slowly Kashubianized through the years. I will keep searching for the records that I need to find their true ethnicity, then I may be able to trace them back to Germany.