Show ContentsDressel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Dressel derives from a few different sources. In some instances, it was a local surname, derived from a place named Dreshcer in the region of Thuringia. In the Holy Roman Empire, hereditary surnames derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Dressel was also an occupational surname derived from the word German word "drescher," which denotes a thresher of grain. As surnames began to be used, many adopted the name of their feudal occupation as their surname.

Early Origins of the Dressel family

The surname Dressel was first found in Thuringia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Dressel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dressel research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1533, 1580, 1728, 1734, 1779, 1876 and 1954 are included under the topic Early Dressel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dressel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Drescher, Dresch, Dresche, Dresher, Dresh, Dreshe, Dresher and many more.

Early Notables of the Dressel family

Notable members of the surname Dressel in this period were Gallus Dressler (1533-1580), a German composer and music theorist who served as Kantor in the church school at Magdeburg; and Georg Drescher von Caden, who was the Mayor of Hirschberg in 1728.Ernst Christoph Dressler (1734-1779) was a German composer, operatic tenor...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dressel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dressel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dressel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Konrad Dressel, who landed in America in 1781 1
  • Thomas Dressel, who arrived in America in 1782 1
Dressel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John G Dressel, aged 46, who landed in Missouri in 1841 1
  • Karles Dressel, aged 25, who arrived in Missouri in 1848 1
  • Friedrich Dressel, who arrived in Desterro, Brazil in 1850 1
  • Florian Dressel, who landed in America in 1853 1
  • Ernst Dressel, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1878 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Dressel (post 1700) +

  • Shelby Kathleen Dressel (b. 1990), American Country singer-songwriter from Avon Park, Florida
  • Paul Dressel (1910-1989), American educational psychologist, founding director of the Counseling Center at Michigan State University
  • James K. Dressel (1943-1992), American politician, Member of the Michigan House of Representatives (1979-1984)
  • Delverne "Del" Dressel, American lacrosse player, inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2002
  • Christopher "Chris" Dressel (b. 1961), American football player who played tight end for ten seasons in the National Football League
  • Caeleb Remel Dressel (b. 1996), American twelve-time gold medalist freestyle, breaststroke, and butterfly swimmer from Green Cove Springs, Florida
  • Wilma Dressel (1983-2005), German silver medalist rower at the 2005 World Rowing Championships
  • Waltraud Dressel (1893-1940), German silver medalist freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics
  • Herbert Dressel (1938-1999), German inventor
  • Heinrich Dressel (1845-1920), German archaeologist
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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