Gmelin

Gmelin is a German surname. It is associated with a number of scientists from the 18th to the 19th centuries and has lent its name to notable reference works and a lunar crater.

Johann Georg Gmelin (1709–1755) was a German naturalist, botanist, and explorer known for his work in Russia and Siberia. His field studies and writings contributed to the early European understanding of northern flora, fauna, and geography, and he is commemorated in the names of natural-history objects and places.

Johann Friedrich Gmelin (1748–1804) was a German naturalist, botanist, and chemist. He produced extensive taxonomic and natural-history writings and contributed to early scientific description and classification in his era, linking botanical and chemical interests.

Leopold Gmelin was a German chemist associated with the Gmelin Handbuch der chemie, a major reference work in inorganic chemistry. Begun in the 19th century, the Handbuch became a standard source for inorganic data and chemical knowledge, and it was continued by later editors after Gmelin’s initial contributions.

In addition to people, the name Gmelin is also linked to lunar nomenclature: the Moon contains a crater named Gmelin, honoring Johann Georg Gmelin for his contributions to natural history and exploration.

Overall, Gmelin denotes a hereditary scientific surname with historical ties to significant work in natural history and chemistry, and its legacy persists in both scholarly reference literature and astronomical naming conventions.