Altenburg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The German surname Altenburg emerged in the lands that formed the modern state of Lower Saxony, which is presently bordered by the North Sea, the Hartz mountains and the Elbe and Ems rivers. Lower Saxony was previously a medieval Saxon dukedom. The name Altenburg, which is a local surname, reveals that the original bearer of the name once lived, held land, or was born in this beautiful region of Germany. In the Holy Roman Empire, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and after the 12th century, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. When coupled with the German preposition von, which means from or of, local names can indicate that the bearer of the name was an aristocrat. However, in modern times, the von is frequently dropped from the surname. The Altenburg family originally lived in one of the numerous places named Alten in Germany. In the border regions of France, Switzerland and Austria, there are a multitude of villages, towns and cities by this name. The most familiar city of Alten, however, is in Prussia. Located in a mountainous region of the Hanover province close to the Ocker river, it was established in the 15th century by miners who worked in the silver mines.

Early Origins of the Altenburg family

The surname Altenburg was first found in Oldenburg, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name Aldenburg became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation.

Early History of the Altenburg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Altenburg research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1584, 1640, 1651, 1653, 1732, 1734 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Altenburg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Altenburg Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Altenburg, Altenberger, Aldenberg, Aldenbourg, Aldanburg, Altenburg and many more.

Early Notables of the Altenburg family

Notables of the time included

Johann Ernst Altenburg (1734-1801), who was a well-known trumpeter and soldier
Michael Altenburg (1584-1640) was a theologian and composer of melodies and choral pieces still sung today

Altenburg migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Altenburg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Altenburg, who landed in New Jersey in 1850 1
Adolph Altenburg, who settled in Philadelphia in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name Altenburg (post 1700) +

Lois Ivers Altenburg, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from North Dakota at-large, 1984 2
Grace Altenburg, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nevada, 1940 2
Wolfgang Altenburg (1928-2023), German Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from 1983 to 1986, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1986 to 1989

Historic Events for the Altenburg family +

Bismarck

Friedrich Altenburg (1922-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 3

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details