Is the name thiessen Jewish

Answer 1

The Germany family name Thiessen is not Jewish, but has some Jewish origins.

The family name Thiessen developed from a German short form of the personal name Matthias, which may be rendered from the original Hebrew as "Gift of God". This personal name enjoyed great favor in medieval Europe owing to the veneration of St. Matthew the Apostle.

According to legend, the relics of St. Matthew had been obtained by St. Helena (mother of Constantine the Great) and taken to Rome, and thence to Trier in the Rhineland, where the given name Matthias was, as a consequence, particularly popular.

So the sons of Matthias would called Matthiessen or shortened to Thiessen and other variants such as Tiessen. German speakers pronounce Thiessen as Tee-son or Tea-son with the silent "h". The English/American speakers often pronounce it as Thie-son with the non-silent "h". It is often easier to change the way your family's name is pronounced than to try and correct everyone who says it "wrong".