Theisen
A German and Dutch surname usually derived from a personal name meaning “son of Theis,” with Theis itself a short form of Matthew or Matthias.
The #6,025 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,099 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Theisen is generally understood as a patronymic surname built from the given name Theis, a regional short form found in German- and Dutch-speaking areas. Theis itself is commonly connected with Matthias or, in some traditions, with Matthew, so the surname originally meant “descendant of Theis.” The ending -en is a common surname formation in parts of western Germany and the Low Countries.
History
The surname appears in areas where short forms of Christian given names became hereditary family names, especially in western and southwestern Germany and neighboring Dutch-speaking regions. It likely became fixed as a surname in the late medieval or early modern period, when patronymic bynames were turning into inherited surnames. In immigrant records, spelling may vary with local pronunciation and clerical spelling habits.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same nickname root behind Theisen also produced several related surnames across the German-speaking world, all tracing back to a short form of a biblical name.