The first documented mention of Ehningen can be dated to 1185, when the knight Albertus de Ondingin purchased a manor in Herrenberg. Albertus de Ondingin was a member of the local nobility, and in all likelihood was a vassal of the Count Calw. There is ample evidence of the continued use of this countryside in prehistoric times, however. For example, a Neolithic arrowhead (3000-1800 BC) and a Bronze Age grave mound (1800-1200 BC) were discovered locally. A
Celtic four-sided
earthwork was once located just south of present-day Ehningen, although it has been overbuilt. Beginning in the third century AD, the area was colonized by the
Alemanni. Evidence of this colonization was discovered in 1878 during the construction of the
Stuttgart–Horb railway, when several Alemannic graves were found. The suffix -
ingen means that Ehningen can be classified as one of the original Swabian villages; the original name
Ondgingin or -
onding indicates the town may be named for an Alemannic tribe leader named "Ondo". In medieval times the size of Ehningen remained relatively constant, and the settlement was limited by the so-called "
Etters". The
Etters were essentially fences that would prevent the cattle from getting out into the gardens of the houses. The settlement boundary defined by the
Etters was not changed until the 19th century. There were three streets in the Old City: The Upper Street (now King Street), Böblingen (which ran east to west from the Upper Gate to Herrenberg), and Aidlingen Gärtringen (which led through the Lower Gate). The Dagersheim road ran north through the Weilemer Gate (also Linsentor). None of these three gates, none have survived. In 1850 Ehningen had three Catholic and 1634 Protestant inhabitants, who lived and worked in 308 primary and 88 outbuildings. Until World War II Ehningen had about 2,000 inhabitants, a figure that steadily increased to just over 7,000 by 2000. == Religion ==