Show ContentsAverbeck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers is the ancient German region of Westphalia. Westphalia, the home of the name Averbeck. In the German provinces, hereditary surnames were adopted after the 12th century, and names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local surnames 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 initial bearer of the name was an aristocrat. However, in modern times, the preposition is frequently dropped from surnames of this type. The Averbeck family originally lived beyond a brook which is derived from the German words aver, which is a word found in Westphalia that means beyond, and the German word beke, which means brook. Averbeck is, therefore, a topographic surname, which was the type of local surname that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Early Origins of the Averbeck family

The surname Averbeck was first found in Westphalia, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Averbeck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Averbeck research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Averbeck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Averbeck Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Averbeck include Averbach, Averback, Averbacke, Averbache, Afferbach, Averbacker and many more.

Early Notables of the Averbeck family

More information is included under the topic Early Averbeck Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Averbeck migration to the United States +

Many Germans emigrated across the Atlantic to seek better lives in North America. This great migration began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century. Resettlement was particularly attractive to those from Westphalia as a means of escape from poverty and religious persecution. For many Westphalian farmers, the chance to own one's own land was also a major incentive. The process of the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlements centered around Ontario and the Prairie provinces. Among them:

Averbeck Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jos Averbeck, his wife and two children, who arrived in America in 1842
  • Theodor Averbeck, and his family, who settled in America in 1847
  • Dietrich Averbeck, who was on record in Milwaukee in 1848

Contemporary Notables of the name Averbeck (post 1700) +

  • Johann Heinrich Bernhard Martin Averbeck (1844-1889), German physician, pioneer in the field of physiotherapy


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