Wann History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The Wann name is derived from the Middle High German word "wanne," which was a type of basket. The surname is of occupational origin for a maker or seller of winnowing fans, which were baskets used to clean grain.

Early Origins of the Wann family

The surname Wann was first found in Germany, where the name Wann came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. A bearer of Wanner is on record in Isny in the year 1250. Documents from 1301 show a Rudolf genannt (called) Wanner, who was an assessor at the court of Esslingen. Families of this name later became more prominent as numerous branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some of which were located in other countries. Through the acquisition of these estates as well as their important contributions to society, the family successfully elevated their social status.

Early History of the Wann family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wann research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1414, 1540 and 1585 are included under the topic Early Wann History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wann Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wanner, Waner, Wanler, Wenner, Wanen, Wanern, Wönner, Weiner, Wienner, Wonnen, Winner, Weynner, Wuynner, Weynen, Wansen, Wenser, Wannamaker, Wannameiker, Wennmaker, Wannamacher, Wannemacher and many more.

Early Notables of the Wann family

Notables of the time with the name Wann included

the Wanner family of Wangen

Wann Ranking

In the United States, the name Wann is the 14,152^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Wann migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wann Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Wann, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 2
Peter Wann, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1764 2

Wann Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Hyndman Wann, who arrived in Iowa in 1882 2
Elsa Wann, aged 16, who settled in America from Gottenburg, in 1892

Wann Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alma V. Wann, aged 18, who landed in America from Gothenburg, in 1903
James Wann, aged 49, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
George Wann, aged 22, who landed in America from Berlin, Germany, in 1914
Christina D. Wann, aged 35, who landed in America from Dundee, Scotland, in 1920
Archibald Herbert Wann, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Howden, England, in 1922

Wann migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wann Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Wann, (b. 1847), aged 23, Scottish general servant, from Fifeshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Ramsey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th June 1870 3
Mr. James Wann, (b. 1862), aged 15, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand on 20th January 1877 4
Mr. Alexander Wann, (b. 1864), aged 13, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand on 20th January 1877 4
Mrs. Margaret Wann, (b. 1837), aged 40, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand on 20th January 1877 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Wann (post 1700) +

J. B. Wann, American politician, Mayor of Springfield, Missouri, 1957 5
Walter Carl Wann Jr. (1921-1942), American seaman, Silver Star recipient, eponym of the USS Walter C. Wann (DE-412)
Norman G. "Happy" Wann, American football, basketball, baseball, and tennis coach
Keith Wann (b. 1969), American deaf stage actor and comedian
Alexander Halley Wann (b. 1940), Scottish footballer
Dennis Wann (b. 1950), English former professional footballer
Henrik Wann Jensen (b. 1969), Danish Academy Award winning computer graphics researcher
Wann Langston Jr. (1921-2013), American paleontologist and former professor at the University of Texas at Austin

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html