Show ContentsExline History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestral home of the Exline family is Bavaria. Exline is a local name for a person who lived in Franconia, where their name rose to prominence through their involvement in the social and cultural affairs of the area. Their seat and land holdings were in the free canton of Gebuerg. The ancestral home of the Exline family is found in the Rhineland. Exline is of several possible origins, all of which derive from a common root; the name comes from the Middle High German ochs, meaning "ox." It may have originated from a nickname, referring to "one as stubborn as an ox." Alternatively, the original bearer of the name may have been someone who kept or sold oxen. Finally, the surname may be derived from a place of residence distinguished by a sign; in this case, the name would indicate "one who dwelled in the house with the sign of the ox."

Early Origins of the Exline family

The surname Exline was first found in the Rhineland, where the Exline family became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. The earliest known bearer of the name was Hans Ochslin, who was a resident of Waldsee in 1536. Always prominent in social affairs, the young Exline family 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 Exline family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Exline research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1554, 1752, 1802, 1810 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Exline History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Exline Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Exline include Ochs, Ochss, Ochse, Och, Ochsse, Ocks, Ockss, Ockse, Ocksse, Osse (northern Germany), Oexle (Swabia), Oxle (Swabia), Oechsle, Ochsner, Exline, Echslin, Oxle, Ochslein ("little ox") and many more.

Early Notables of the Exline family

Prominent among members of the name Exline in this period include Peter Ochse from Gieselfeld (around 1554), a member of the Danish branch of the family who moved to Ravensburg where he became a major in the Bavarian army. According to Saxon...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Exline Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Exline migration to the United States +

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Exline or a variant listed above:

Exline Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Christopher Exline, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 1
Exline Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Justius Exline, aged 36, who immigrated to Lima, Ohio, in 1914
  • George Exline, aged 26, who settled in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Exline (post 1700) +

  • Brittney Exline, the youngest African-American female to be accepted into an Ivy League school, at 15
  • David Exline, American settler to Iowa in 1873, he founded a successful dry-goods business in what would later become known as Exline, Iowa
  • Ralph Exline, American politician, Mayor of Salina, Kansas, 1957-58, 1962-63 2


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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