Dorn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German state of Bavaria is the ancestral home of the Dorn family. Dorn is a local name, first used as a surname for someone who lived near a thorn-bush or hedge. The surname Dorn is derived from the German word dorn, which means thorn. Thus, the name was adopted by a person who lived near thorn bushes. The name Dorn also was used by people from Dornach, which is a town located near Munich in Bavaria. There is also a town named Dörnach in Tübingen, Westphalia and a city named Thorn (which is now Torun) in Poland. In Bavaria, the Dorn family lived on a feudal estate. Land proprietorship and management were the sole source of wealth and power in the Middle Ages and the Dorn family, as noble landowners, became prestigious members of the landed aristocracy.

Early Origins of the Dorn family

The surname Dorn was first found in Bavaria, where the name came from humble beginnings but 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.