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![Show Contents]() Lauter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Germany
The surname Lauter is a German occupational surname that evolved in the region known as the Rhineland. Germans at first used only one name, but population growth and increased travel in medieval times caused confusion between people of the same name, forcing the people to adopt hereditary surnames. These names often identified people by the kind of work they did. Lauter is a name for a musician who played the lute. Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. This phenomenon is demonstrated by names such as the German name Schumaker, which means a maker of shoes, the Ashkenazic Jewish name Zimmerman, which means carpenter, the Polish and Jewish name Stolarski, which means joiner, the Dutch name Schuyler, which means teacher and the Italian name Calderone, which means seller of spices. Early Origins of the Lauter familyThe surname Lauter was first found in the Rhineland, where the name could be considered to have made a great contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of modern Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the national conflicts, in which each group sought power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. Early History of the Lauter familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lauter research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1400 and 1706 are included under the topic Early Lauter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Lauter Spelling VariationsIn the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Lauter include Lauterer, Laut, Lauten, Lauth, Lautmann, Lautemann, Lautermann, Lauteman and many more. Early Notables of the Lauter familyNotables with the name Lauter during this period were - Philipp Valentin von Lauter, high-commander of the fortress at Wuerzburg, who was raised to the nobility (Reichsfreiherrnstand) in 1706
 Lauter migration to the United States | + |
The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Lauter, or one of its variants above:
Lauter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Kaspar Lauter, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1664 1
Lauter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Leonhard Lauter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 1
- Leonard Lauter, who settled in Philadelphia in 1752
- Philip Lauter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 1
- Michel Lauter, who arrived in America in 1777-1783 1
Lauter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Sybille Lauter, who arrived in America in 1846 1
| Contemporary Notables of the name Lauter (post 1700) | + |
- Edward Lauter (b. 1940), American actor who has been in many movies, and was a stand up comic before he got into acting
- Herman Arthur Lauter (1914-1990), American character actor in Hollywood films
- 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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Lauter migration to the United States 
