Fraenkels

Fraenkels is a surname of Germanic origin, most often encountered among Ashkenazi Jewish families and German-speaking communities. It is a variant of the surname Fraenkel (Fränkel), which itself derives from the ethnonym Frank and the diminutive or patronymic suffix -el. In English-language records, diacritics are frequently dropped, yielding Fränkel or Fraenkel, and Fraenkels can appear as a plural or family-name form indicating the descendants or relatives of a person named Fraenkel.

Etymology and variants: The base Fränkel/Fraenkel is common in Central and Eastern Europe; related spellings include Frenkel, Franckel, and Franekel. The exact spelling Fraenkels is comparatively rare and often arises in genealogical documentation as a plural or possessive.

Distribution and history: The surname appears in historical documents from medieval German-speaking regions and among Jewish communities in Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine. In the modern era, bearers of the name migrated to the United States, Israel, and other countries, contributing in various professional fields.

Notable bearers: There are few widely recognized individuals with the exact spelling Fraenkels in public biographical sources; more commonly encountered variants include Fraenkel and Frenkel. Genealogical research may reveal family branches with the Fraenkels spelling continuing into the present.