The BETSINGER surname is one of the oldest surnames in the German language! The first person with the BETSINGER surname was probably a ministrel singer in the 1100 to 1300 era.

BETS means "bed", or "to pray or kneel" in German. Thus, the conclusion that we are descended from ministrel singers! Robert Betsinger from Clinton, Iowa researched the name while in the Army in Germany.

If a ministrel singer displeased the king, he was often ordered from the kingdom. Many were put on ships and sent to sea. BETSINGERs could have been among the first to arrive in America, probably before the Revolution!

The name is of German origin from the time of the Holy Roman Empire or the German Empire. Later this was called West Prussia, and after 1872, became part of the German state.

There are many dialects of the German language, so the spelling of the name depended on the locality of the family.
Thus, names that are related and should be researched also include:BETTSINGER, BETZINGER, BETTZINGER, PETSINGER, BITZINGER, AND BISINGER, BEDSINGER.

I never knew another BETSINGER that wasn't related to me as I grew up. The BETSINGER name is so uncommon that is appears in usage 0.0001% of the time. AREN'T WE LUCKY?! It is the 75,000 most common name in the world. There are only about one hundred families that carry the BETSINGER surname in the United States at this moment. My family, direct relatives, account for two-thirds of that number. I JUST KNOW WE ARE ALL RELATED!