Barthel
A German surname that began as a familiar short form of Bartholomew.
The #9,029 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,289 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Barthel is a German diminutive and shortened form of Bartholomäus, the German form of Bartholomew. The underlying biblical name goes back to Aramaic elements meaning “son of Tolmai” or “son of the furrows,” though the exact interpretation of the older name is debated. In surname use, Barthel originally identified someone by descent from or association with a man named Bartholomäus.
History
The surname is especially associated with German-speaking areas, where short pet forms of given names often became inherited family names. The historical sources here explicitly treat Barthel as a shortened form of Bartholomäus, and related forms such as Barthelot and Barthelmy are noted in other European name traditions. In modern usage it remains relatively uncommon, with strongest roots in Germany and nearby Central European regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century onomastic writers often grouped Barthel with other everyday nickname-surnames formed from given names ending in -el, like Seidel and Weigel.
From the historical record
“Mitunter haben diese verschiedenen Sproßformen keinen Buchstaben des Stammes gemein, z. B. Barthel und Mewes aus Bartholomäus. 1) Auf süddeutschen Schulen sogar Homer, Hörax, Virgü.”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen