Show ContentsEpper Surname History

The ancestral home of the Epper family is Bavaria. Epper is a local name for a person who lived in Bavaria, where they became known from the early Middle Ages as an important family within the social and cultural life of the community.

Early Origins of the Epper family

The surname Epper was first found in Bavaria, where the family held a family seat in the Middle Ages. Individual bearers of the name first mentioned in ancient chronicles include Eberhart and Friedericus of Ebs in Bavaria in 1190, Albertus (Appelinus) dictus Eppelin in Heilbronn in 1283, Rudel Eppfeler in Glatz in 1367, Nicholous Eppler in Iglau in 1390.

Early History of the Epper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Epper research. Another 319 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1295, 1434, 1515, 1586, 1598, 1717 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Epper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Epper Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Epper include Epple, Eppler, Epler, Eppel, Eppell, Eppli, Epp, Eppo, Eppe, Eppard, Eppele, Eppelin, Eppeler, Eppfeler, Eppelen, Epplen, Eppan, Eppaner, Epplan, Eplan, Epling, Eppling, Eps, Epps, Ebs, Ebbs, Eppes, Epes, Eppley and many more.

Early Notables of the Epper family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Epper Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Epper migration to the United States +

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Epper or a variant listed above:

Epper Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Cath Theresia Epper, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1846 1


  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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook