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Spiegel History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Spiegel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The German province of Westphalia nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers, is the birthplace of the distinguished name Spiegel. In the German provinces, after the 12th century, hereditary surnames that were derived from occupations became increasingly widespread. Spiegel is an occupational name for a person who made or sold mirrors. This distinguished name was originally derived both from the German word "spiegel," which means "mirror" and from the Yiddish word "shpigl," which mean "to look" or "to see." The German word "spiegel" is itself derived from the Old German word "spiagal," from the Latin word "specullum."

Early Origins of the Spiegel family

The surname Spiegel was first found in Westphalia, where this noble family name, traced as early as 1100, 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.

Early History of the Spiegel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spiegel research. Another 249 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1252, 1257, 1396, 1558, 1691, 1757, 1764, 1776, 1787, 1805, 1835 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Spiegel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spiegel 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 Spiegel include Spiegel, Spiegl, Spiegle, Spiegele, Spiegeler, Spiegler, Spiegelmann, Spiegelman, Spiegil, Spiegell, Spiegill, Spegel (northern Germany), Spigeler and many more.

Early Notables of the Spiegel family

Notables of the period with the name Spiegel were

Count Ferdinand August von Spiegel (1764-1835), of the House of Diesenberg-Hanxleden, who was the Archbishop of Cologne, as well as a Prussian privy councillor...

Spiegel Ranking

In the United States, the name Spiegel is the 6,889^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Spiegel 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 were:

Spiegel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Michael Spiegel, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1737
Michael Spiegel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1741
Samuel Spiegel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1741 2
Philip Spiegel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1743
Johann Remigius Spiegel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1751
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Spiegel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Adrian Spiegel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1834
Nicholas Spiegel, aged 44, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 2
Simon Spiegel, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1845 2
Solomon Spiegel, who landed in Philadelphia in 1848
Dorothea Spiegel, who landed in New York, NY in 1854 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Spiegel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Spiegel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Caspar Spiegel, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757

Contemporary Notables of the name Spiegel (post 1700) +

Joseph Spiegel (1840-1918), American businessman, founder of the Spiegel catalog in 1865, younger brother of Union Army Colonel Marcus M. Spiegel, and patriarch of the Spiegel family
Murray Ralph Spiegel, American author of technical books on applied mathematics
Sam Spiegel (1901-1985), Austrian-born American independent film producer
Laurie Spiegel (b. 1945), American composer from Chicago
Edward A. Spiegel, American Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University
Adam Spiegel (b. 1969), birth name Spike Jonze, an American Academy Award nominated director, producer and actor
Frederick S. Spiegel (1855-1925), American Republican politician, Common pleas court judge in Ohio 1st District, 1897; Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, 1914-15 3
Elliot Spiegel, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Illinois, 1992 3
Edwin Spiegel, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984 3
Charlotte Spiegel, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1964 3
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Spiegel family +

Bismarck

Heinrich Spiegel (1913-1941), German Bootsmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 4
Alfred Spiegel (1920-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 4

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details