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Re: Meaning of surname Thelen
There is Theil, Theile, Theilen, Thelen, Thiel, Thiele, Thielecke, Thielen, Thielke, Tielmann, Thielsch etc. and all these names are rather widespread in Germany. They all go back to a short form of given names with the Germanic element "thiot" (people), for instance Dietrich.
This is taken from: Rosa und Volker Kohlheim, Familiennamen, Mannheim 2000
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Many of these names could also be Dutch, like Thielen, Thielemans, Dielemans and Thelen. More names, like for example Frisian forms, are Tillema and Tilsma.
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