Gentner
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Gentner is a surname of German origin. The first records of the Gentner name can be traced back to
Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...
, southwest Germany, in the late 1300s.


Etymology

Various sources provide different theories regarding the meaning and origin of the surname, though a reliable proof does not yet exist to verify these speculations.


German origins

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...
claims that the name is a variant of the Ganter surname, which has roots in the south of Germany. The speculation is that Ganter is an
occupational surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
, derived from the
middle high German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...
word, "''gant''", which is loosely translated to mean "''auctioneer''" or the term "''kanter ganter''", which translates to "''barrel rack''". The Gentner surname is believed to have been initially given to auctioneers or those who made barrels for a living, also known as coopers.


French origins

Ancestry also traces the Ganter surname to
Alsace–Lorraine Alsace–Lorraine (German language, German: ''Elsaß–Lothringen''), officially the Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine (), was a territory of the German Empire, located in modern-day France. It was established in 1871 by the German Empire ...
, France. Again, this explanation supposes that the name is occupational in origin. The surname is said to have derived from the
middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
term "''ga(u)nter''", or an
old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th

Norse origins

Author Max Gottschald claims that the Gentner surname is derived from the German word "''gand''", which has roots in the old Norse words "''gandy''", meaning "''magician''" and "''gandr''", meaning "''werewolf''". The Gentner surname may also have derived from the French/German name
Günther, meaning "battle-army", which also has roots in
old norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
. The surname Günther is said to have derived from the old norse word "''gunnr''", which means "battle", or the Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...
word "''gunþiz",'' which means "act of killing". Gunnr is also the name of a Valkyrie in Norse mythology.


Notable people

Notable people with the surname include: *Christian Gentner (born 1985), German football player *Dedre Gentner, American psychology professor *
Guy Gentner Guy Gentner (born 1955) MLA for Delta North in the Canadian province of British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Oc ...
, Canadian politician *
Thomas Gentner Thomas Gentner (born 4 October 1988) is a retired professional footballer who played as a left-sided defender and midfielder. Career history Thomas came through the youth system at VfB Stuttgart. In 2007, he was signed by Stuttgart Kickers. ...
(born 1988), German footballer *
Wolfgang Gentner Wolfgang Gentner (23 July 1906 in Frankfurt am Main – 4 September 1980 in Heidelberg) was a German experimental nuclear physicist. Gentner received his doctorate in 1930 from the University of Frankfurt. From 1932 to 1935 he had a fellowship wh ...
(1906–1980), German nuclear physicist


See also

*
Gentner Drummond Gentner Frederick Drummond (born October 1, 1963) is an American attorney, rancher, Air Force veteran, and politician serving as the 20th attorney general of Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, he is a candidate for governor in the 202 ...
, American politician * Else Gentner-Fischer (1883–1943), German opera singer *
Willy Schmidt-Gentner Willy Schmidt-Gentner (6 April 1894 – 12 February 1964) was one of the most successful German people, German composers of film music in the history of German-language cinema. He moved to Vienna in 1933. At his most productive, he scored up to 1 ...
(1894–1964), German film score composer


References

{{surname, Gentner German-language surnames