Tenbrink Surname History

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancient German region of the Rhineland was the original home of the ancestors of the Tenbrink surname. Tenbrink was a local name, a type of hereditary surname that identified people by the places where they lived. Landowners were the first to use local names, and they often attached the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from," to the surname. Often, the use of "von" was a mark of aristocratic birth. Local names are by far the most common style of German hereditary surname. Tenbrink was a name for someone who lived beside a meadow or grassy pasture. Tenbrink is a topographic surname, which was a type of local name given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Tenbrink family

The surname Tenbrink was first found in the Rhineland, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation. The name Brink derives originally from the German word that describes a grassy meadow or pasture.

Early History of the Tenbrink family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tenbrink research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1814, 1835 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Tenbrink History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tenbrink 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 Tenbrink include Brink, Brinker, Brinck, Brincke, Brinkmann, Brinkman, Brinckmann, Brinckman, Brinckemann and many more.

Early Notables of the Tenbrink family

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

Tenbrink migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Tenbrink, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Tenbrink Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A Cath Tenbrink, who landed in America in 1844 1
Bernard TenBrink, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1846 1
Christiana TenBrink, aged 34, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1846 1
Herman TenBrink, aged 5, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1846 1
J Tenbrink, aged 44, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1847 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Tenbrink (post 1700) +

James W. TenBrink, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State Board of Education, 1968
Eugene C. TenBrink, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Ottawa County, 1940
Eugene Ten Brink Sr., American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 5th District, 1948
Bernard Ten Brink (1841-1892), Dutch philologist

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)