Michelsen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Norway

The name Michelsen was born in the beautiful region of Bohemia, which is now part of Czechoslavakia. German surnames developed at a time when most of Bohemia, and most of the German provinces, were states of the Holy Roman Empire. At first people used only a single name, but as the population grew and people began to travel, they began to find it necessary to take on an additional name to distinguish themselves. Fairly general principles guided the development of hereditary surnames in Bohemia. The surname Michelsen derived from the given name Michael, which derives in turn from the Hebrew Mika'el. It is composed of "mi" meaning "who," "ke," meaning "like," and "El," a shortened form of "Eloin," meaning "God," with the whole meaning of "who is like God," or "God-like." The popularity of the name Michael resulted from the devotion to the various Judeo-Christian holy figures bearing this name.

Early Origins of the Michelsen family

The surname Michelsen was first found in Bohemia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Michelsen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Michelsen research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1645, 1652, 1657, 1755, 1786 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Michelsen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michelsen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Michael, Micheel, Michel, Meikle, Michler, Michaelis (Prussia), Michahelles (North Rhine) and many more.

Early Notables of the Michelsen family

During this early period, notable bearers of the name Michelsen included Tobias Michael (1592-1657), a German composer and kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, updated the church's hymnal in...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Michelsen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michelsen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Michelsen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anders Michelsen, aged 38, who landed in New York, NY in 1843 1
Andrea Michelsen, aged 2, who settled in America, in 1893
Charles Michelsen, aged 32, who landed in America from Belgium, in 1893

Michelsen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Carla Michelsen, aged 22, who settled in America from Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1904
Albert Michelsen, aged 20, who landed in America from Bergen, in 1906
Andreas Michelsen, aged 33, who landed in America from Bergen, Norway, in 1907
Anna Michelsen, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Larvik, Norway, in 1907
Christine Michelsen, aged 28, who settled in America from Christiania, Norway, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Michelsen (post 1700) +

Charis Michelsen, American actress and former model
Albert Michelsen (1893-1964), American marathoner
Hans Guenther Michelsen (b. 1920), born in Hamburg, an award winning playwright
Thore Michelsen (1888-1980), Norwegian bronze medalist rower at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Thomas Michelsen, Norwegian football midfielder
Randi Michelsen (1903-1981), Danish film actress
Lars-Henrik Paarup Michelsen, Norwegian Representative to Parliament, president of Young Liberals of Norway
Jacob Andreas Michelsen (1821-1902), Norwegian businessperson and politician
Hans Methlie Michelsen (b. 1920), Norwegian judge
Peter Christian Hersleb Kjerschow Michelsen (1857-1925), Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)