Trenkel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Bavaria, Germany is the ancestral home of the Trenkel family. The Trenkel surname evolved as a local name. It is a name for a family that lived in Franconia.

Early Origins of the Trenkel family

The surname Trenkel was first found in Franconia, where the name appeared as early as the 13th century, and gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Trenkel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trenkel research. Another 201 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1533, 1652, 1655, 1711, 1749, 1783 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Trenkel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trenkel 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 Trenkel include Trenk, Trenck, Trencke, Traenck, Trenke, Trank, Tranke, Tranck, Trancke, Tranckner, Traenkel (Baden), Traenkler, Trenkel (Baden), Trenkle (Baden), Traenkner (Saxony), Trenkner (Saxony), Trenker, Drenker (Hamburg and many more.

Early Notables of the Trenkel family

Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Trenkel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trenkel migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Trenkel or a variant listed above:

Trenkel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen and Christoph Trenkel, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1738
Stephen Trenkel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Trenkel (post 1700) +

Rudolf Trenkel, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 138 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

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)