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What date did the name THELEN emerge in the North Rhineland(Germany) in its current spelling and from what name: Thele, Thiel or ?? Evidently, the "n" at the end of the name indicates descendant of. I do know it was before 1600. Oddly, far from the Rhineland in Upper Franconia there was a "von Thelen" around 1404 but this must be independant from development in the Rhineland. There do appear to be Thelens in the North of the Rhineland near Limburg Province, Netherlands in 1545. The spelling in the 16 & 1700's seems to not be standardized and vary between THELEN and THIELEN.