# Hortenstine - what does it mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hortenstine-what-does-it-mean/550383>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 16, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hortenstine-what-does-it-mean/550383 "2010-08-16T02:50:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KoJi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/cab0a1/32.png) [@KoJi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KoJi)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hortenstine-what-does-it-mean/550383/1 "2010-08-16T02:50:43Z")

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I’m a genealogist and I ran across the name Hortenstine. I cannot find any information on the name as to origin or meaning. I know that many Jews have this name, but I believe it is of German origin. Any information on this name appreciated.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hortenstine-what-does-it-mean/550383/2 "2010-08-16T02:59:02Z")

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I come up with ‘stronghold stone’ if you replace ‘stine’ with ‘stein’. Maybe ‘stone fortress’?

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**Author:** ![KoJi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/cab0a1/32.png) [@KoJi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KoJi)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hortenstine-what-does-it-mean/550383/3 "2010-08-16T07:47:16Z")

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That’s kind of what I came up with, but I hadn’t thought of stone fortress. I’m not sure about the stine -\> stein replacement since I don’t speak German. But thanks for the reply.

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**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hortenstine-what-does-it-mean/550383/4 "2010-08-16T09:06:47Z")

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Stein-Stien is common in Anglicizing German surnames.

One thing tho… are you sure it’s not Hornstein? Or Hartenstein? Or perhaps Hertenstein?

Because there’s a [load of people](http://hertenstein.de/) connected to that group of names… and the only ones even close to Hortenstine are the Hortensteins of Austrian origin… there’s a Weiß-Hortenstein listed in some [old book](http://books.google.com/books?id=_cY_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq=Wei%C3%9F-Hortenstein&source=bl&ots=uOvMn-8_In&sig=LsmV4UXh4K5J1iHrNDPonWpapdw&hl=en&ei=vvloTJL4I86fOKDK8LkF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Wei%C3%9F-Hortenstein&f=false) about Austrian nobility in google books… hmm… just under the “jewkiller” dude, weird coincidence…

And apparently there was a… Lieutenant General? Lothar Edler von Hortenstein in the Austro-Hungarian army.