ZWICKEL Origin of surname
ZWICKEL, ZWICKELSKY
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. Zwickel is a German diminutive of Zwick, which is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives.
The surname is associated with Zwickau near Leipzig, Saxony (eastern Germany), or with Cvikov in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic, where there was a Jewish community since early 14th century (also called Zwickau in German). The Slavic suffix "-sky" in Zwickelsky means "of/from". In some cases, Zwick was originally a personal or occupational nickname. In German, Zwick means a "nail", but in Slavic, spelled Cvik, it is a nickname applied to a "sly or cunning person". Zwick can be a 'kinnui' ("secular equivalent") of the Hebrew Tzvi ("hart") or Zeev ("wolf"), Tzvi standing for Naphtali, whom Jacob compares to the swift hart, and Zev for the ravenous wolf (Wilk in Slavic) to whom Benjamin is likened (Genesis 49). The Jewish family name Zwick might also be a combination of the Hebrew Tzvi and the Slavic Wilk, or it could mean "little Tzvi", the suffix "-ik" being added to personal names in both German and Slavic as a sign of endearment. Zwickel is documented as a Jewish family name in 20th century Germany with the soldier Alexander Zwickel of Berlin, who died in World War I.
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. Zwickel is a German diminutive of Zwick, which is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives.
The surname is associated with Zwickau near Leipzig, Saxony (eastern Germany), or with Cvikov in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic, where there was a Jewish community since early 14th century (also called Zwickau in German). The Slavic suffix "-sky" in Zwickelsky means "of/from". In some cases, Zwick was originally a personal or occupational nickname. In German, Zwick means a "nail", but in Slavic, spelled Cvik, it is a nickname applied to a "sly or cunning person". Zwick can be a 'kinnui' ("secular equivalent") of the Hebrew Tzvi ("hart") or Zeev ("wolf"), Tzvi standing for Naphtali, whom Jacob compares to the swift hart, and Zev for the ravenous wolf (Wilk in Slavic) to whom Benjamin is likened (Genesis 49). The Jewish family name Zwick might also be a combination of the Hebrew Tzvi and the Slavic Wilk, or it could mean "little Tzvi", the suffix "-ik" being added to personal names in both German and Slavic as a sign of endearment. Zwickel is documented as a Jewish family name in 20th century Germany with the soldier Alexander Zwickel of Berlin, who died in World War I.