Fiege (family name)

Origin and meaning

Fiege is documented as a family name in the Middle Low German spelling Vyghe for the year 1382. The Middle Low German variation Vighe is documented for 1477. These come from today's Lower Saxony and Bremen ( noble family Fiege and Fiegen ). For both spellings there is evidence of the use as a plant name from the same time, for the fruit of the fig tree (Middle Low German Vyghe or Vighe , Low German Fige , Middle High German vīge , New High German fig ).

The spelling Fiege, which is common today, is documented for 1518.

A meaning in the sense of today's adjective feige is rather absurd for Fiege because of the significantly different historical language forms (Middle Low German vēge , fēge or veige ; Middle High German veic ) , but possibly applicable for the similar family names Feige or Feig .

Name bearer

Albert Fiege (1921–2016), German politician (SPD)
Hartwig Fiege (1901–1997), German educator, historian and publicist
Joan Joseph Fiege (1835–1905), founder and namesake of today's company Fiege Logistik
Karl-Heinz Fiege (* 1928), German actor
Kurt Fiege (1897–1983), German geologist
Moritz Fiege (1824–1882), brewer and namesake of today's Moritz Fiege private brewery
Paul Fiege (1915–2013), German archivist and local history researcher
Waltraud Fiege (1924–1988), the real name of the Austrian actress Traute Wassler

Related names and variants

Individual evidence

↑ Karl Ernst Hermann Krause (Ed.) (1863): Archive of the Association for the History and Antiquities of the Duchies of Bremen and Verden and the State of Hadeln zu Stade, 1st volume, p. 82. Digitized .
^ Digitized , archive of the Association for the History and Antiquities of the Duchies of Bremen and Verden and the State of Hadeln zu Stade
↑ vyghe (ID: 199171). In: Portal of the Plants of the Middle Ages / Medieval Plant Survey. URL: [1] (Last accessed: May 5, 2020).
↑ vighe (ID: 193124). In: Portal of the Plants of the Middle Ages / Medieval Plant Survey. URL: [2] (Last accessed: May 5, 2020).
↑ Digitized , Lower Saxony State Archives Stade, Rep. 3 Photo No. 161 F
^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014): vēge . In: Middle Low German Dictionary, 3rd edition.

[1] Karl Ernst Hermann Krause (Ed.) (1863): Archive of the Association for the History and Antiquities of the Duchies of Bremen and Verden and the State of Hadeln zu Stade, 1st volume, p. 82. Digitized .

[2] Digitized , archive of the Association for the History and Antiquities of the Duchies of Bremen and Verden and the State of Hadeln zu Stade

[3] vyghe (ID: 199171). In: Portal of the Plants of the Middle Ages / Medieval Plant Survey. URL: [1] (Last accessed: May 5, 2020).

[4] vighe (ID: 193124). In: Portal of the Plants of the Middle Ages / Medieval Plant Survey. URL: [2] (Last accessed: May 5, 2020).

[5] Digitized , Lower Saxony State Archives Stade, Rep. 3 Photo No. 161 F

[6] Köbler, Gerhard (2014): vēge . In: Middle Low German Dictionary, 3rd edition.