Waggner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The German territory of Silesia is the noble birthplace of the surname Waggner. The name is derived from the Middle High German term "wagener," meaning "one who drives or makes wagons," and would likely have been initially borne by a wheelwright or carriage maker. 1

Early Origins of the Waggner family

The surname Waggner was first found in Liegnitz, where Nitsche wayner (wagener) was recorded in 1372. 1

In medieval times the feudal lord often owned several manors and it was necessary to transport produce from one place to another by two-wheeled, horse-drawn carts. The "wagener" would have been a member of the lord's household responsible for this carriage of goods. References to this name in written records occur as early as the thirteenth century when the "Wurttembergisches Urkundenbuch" makes mention of one Bertoldus dictus Wagenare residing in Eriskirch at that time. Later, the "Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch" notes two brothers, Henricus and Berchtoldus, who were styled Wagenere, natives of Freiburg.

The famed composer and conductor Richard Wagner (1813-1883), best known for his four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) hailed from Leipzig, Upper Saxon.

Early History of the Waggner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waggner research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1656, 1660, 1717, 1742, 1745, 1747, 1762, 1779, 1812, 1813, 1845, 1869, 1883 and 1930 are included under the topic Early Waggner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waggner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wagner, Wegner, Wagoner, Wagener, Waganer, Waggener and many more.

Early Notables of the Waggner family

Notables of the period with the surname Waggner were Gabriel Wagner (c.1660-c.1717), a radical German philosopher and materialist who wrote under the nom-de-plume Realis de Vienna; Heinrich Leopold Wagner (1747-1779), who was a German dramatist of the Storm and Stress period. The most famous Wagner is unquestionably Richard Wagner (1813-1883)...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waggner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waggner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Waggner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Waggner, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 2

Waggner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Waggner, aged 24, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 2

Citations +

Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
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)