German name? Eglinsdoerfer
Our last name is Eglinsdoerfer, and I would like to be able to tell my children what our last name means. My husband seems to think it may mean something about being the door keeper of the king? I would appreciate any information that anyone has at all.
I believe it is of German descent, but I have recently found some Russian Eglinsdoerfer's as well..
Thanks in advance!
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Your surname looks very German indeed. It could well be from southern Germany (Bavaria) or maybe Switzerland. The place-name Eglinsdorf does not seem to exist any more. There is Egling and Eglingen, both in Bavaria. I don't know, what the Eglin- part could be. "Egel" means "leech" in German or else it can be an old form of "Igel" "hedgehog". The word can also denote a part of a grass or grain plant: awn, stalk or generally chaff.But all of this doesn't seem to make much sense with a place-name. There is an old personal name Egill, probably from the Germanic root AG meaning "sharp edge" (of a weapon).So Eglinsdorf may once have been "Egills village".
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Thanks so much I appreciate your help!Have a wonderful day,
Maxine
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