Show ContentsEngle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Engle emerged in the ancient German province of Westphalia, which lies between the Rhine and Wesser rivers. Two of the common types of hereditary surnames found in the Westphalia were patronymic surnames, which were derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which were derived from the mother's given name. The surname Engle was derived from various Germanic personal names. The name Engle is a short form of given names such as Engelbert or Engelhard.

Early Origins of the Engle family

The surname Engle was first found in Bremen, where the name contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation which would later play a large role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. In later years the name branched into many houses, each playing a significant role in the local social and political affairs.

Early History of the Engle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Engle research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1630, 1669, 1674, 1689, 1694 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Engle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Engle Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Engle include Engel, Engels, Engell, Engeler, Engeli, Aingel, Aingell, Aengel, Aengell, Aingeler, Engele, Aingele, Engler, Engebretson, Engelbrekt, Engelbretson, Engebrecht, Engelbrecht, Engelbrecher, Engelbert and many more.

Early Notables of the Engle family

Notables of the period with the name Engle were Hans Ludwig Engel (1630-1674), a Roman Catholic canon lawyer, best known as the author of "ollegium Universi Juris Canonici", Vice Chancellor at the University of Salzburg (1669); and Ludwig Engel (died 1694)...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Engle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Engle Ranking

In the United States, the name Engle is the 1,736th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. [1]


United States Engle migration to the United States +

For many Germans, emigration to North America was an inviting alternative to the trials of life in the old country. From the mid-17th into the present century, thousands of Germans migrated across the Atlantic. They capitalized on the chance to escape poverty and persecution, and to own their own land. After 1650, Germans settled throughout the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also landed in Canada, settling in Ontario or father west on the rich land of the prairies. Among them:

Engle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Engle, who arrived in New Jersey in 1730 [2]
  • William Engle, who landed in New Jersey in 1730 [2]
  • Anna Engle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 [2]
  • Conrade Engle, aged 24, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 [2]
  • Johan Peter Engle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Engle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Martin Engle, aged 25, who landed in Missouri in 1842 [2]
  • Nicholas Engle, who arrived in Maryland in 1844 [2]
  • Louis Engle, aged 6, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 [2]
  • Sebastian Engle, aged 50, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 [2]
  • Helena Engle, aged 11, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Engle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • M C A Engle, who landed in Arkansas in 1904 [2]
  • Christina Engle, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Ellindelor, German, in 1910
  • Eva Engle, aged 37, who landed in America from Frankfurt/M, Germany, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Engle (post 1700) +

  • Claude R. Engle III (1938-2023), American electrical engineer and internationally known lighting consultant
  • Darleen Engle (1936-1985), Hollywood costume designer who designed costumes for such television shows as Wonder Woman and The Dukes of Hazzard
  • Stephen Engle (b. 1966), Bloomberg TV reporter
  • Clyde Engle (1884-1939), Major League Baseball player, later coached at the Vermont and Yale universities
  • Joe Henry Engle (b. 1932), former NASA Astronaut with over 224 hours in space [3]
  • Trevor Engle (b. 1975), American football player
  • Robert F. Engle (b. 1942), American economist, Nobel Prize winner
  • Rip Engle (1906-1983), American college football coach
  • Paul Engle (1908-1991), American poet and author
  • Jacob Engle (b. 1974), American investor, longshoreman, all around cool guy
  • ... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Joe Engle. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/engle-jh.html


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