Schweitzer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The surname Schweitzer is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The surname Schweitzer indicates that the original bearer immigrated to Austria from Switzerland.

Early Origins of the Schweitzer family

The surname Schweitzer was first found in Austria, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would shape the course of European history. The name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, particularly in the city of Frankfurt, and become noted for their involvement in social, economic and political affairs.

Early History of the Schweitzer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schweitzer research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1709, 1710, 1730, 1833 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Schweitzer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schweitzer Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Schweitzer include Schweitzer, Schweizer, Schwitzer, Schwyzer, Switzer, Sweitzer, Schwitter and many more.

Early Notables of the Schweitzer family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Schweitzer were

Johann Friedrich Schweitzer (1625-1709), Dutch physician and alchemical writer of German extraction
Johann Jacob Casimir von Schweitzer, who was ennobled in 1710, and his descendant Lorenz Wilhelm von Schweitzer was lord of Mosen and Riensdorf. Jean Baptista von Schweizer (1833-1875) was a politicia...

Schweitzer Ranking

In the United States, the name Schweitzer is the 3,680^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Schweitzer is ranked the 1,154^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,759 people with that name. 2

Schweitzer migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Schweitzer were

Schweitzer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christoph Schweitzer, who immigrated to either England or America in 1709
Hans Georg Schweitzer, who arrived in New York State between 1710-1714
Matheis Schweitzer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Friendship of Bristol" 3
Jacob Schweitzer, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732
Lorentz Schweitzer, who settled in Philadelphia County in 1734
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Schweitzer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Catharina Schweitzer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 3
Bernhard Schweitzer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 3
B Schweitzer, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 3
Johann Georg Schweitzer, who arrived in America in 1832 3
Henrich Konrad Schweitzer, who landed in America in 1836 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Schweitzer (post 1700) +

Albert Casper Schweitzer (1882-1969), American Major League Baseball outfielder for the St. Louis Browns
Jeff Schweitzer (b. 1957), American non-fiction author, scientist and political commentator, columnist for The Huffington Post
Mary Higby Schweitzer, American paleontologist at North Carolina State University
Edmund O. Schweitzer III (b. 1947), American electrical engineer, inventor, and founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Louis Schweitzer (1899-1971), Russian-born, American paper industrialist and philanthropist
Darrell Charles Schweitzer (b. 1952), American writer, editor, and essayist
Scott Schweitzer (b. 1971), American soccer coach and former professional soccer player
Brian David Schweitzer (b. 1955), American politician, Governor of Montana
Frank Schweitzer, American politician, Social Democratic Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 13th District, 1904; Candidate for New York State Senate 7th District, 1910 4
Elizabeth Schweitzer, American politician, Mayor of East Lansing, Michigan, 1989-93 4
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html