Show ContentsWeil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Weil is of uncertain origins; some scholars find it to be derived Old Norse, while it is also thought to be derived from the Latin "villa," meaning a country house or estate. There are several places so named, located in present day Baden, Wurttemberg, and Bavaria.

Early Origins of the Weil family

The surname Weil was first found in Swabia and Austria, where the name came from aristocratic origins, and gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. Chronicles mention a Hermann von Weiler, as being present at the founding of the monastery of St. George in the Black Forest. His family line became known as Weiler zu Weiler (a city near Heilbronn,) and many members held the position of Priori of the cloister Weiler in Blauthale, which the family founded in the 11th century. A Burkhard Weiler was the Abbot of Sinsheim in 1468; Wolf von Weiler (1508-1585) accompanied Duke Christoph von Wuerttemberg on a campaign in France, and Dietrich von Weiler (1542-1602,) the chief steward and private tutor to the Duke of Wuerttemberg, united estates of numerous branches into his own hands. This surname spread and became more prominent as branches of Weil traveled and acquired distant estates, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Weil family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weil research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1776, 1790, 1804, 1807, 1812 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Weil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weil Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Weil, Weill, Weile, Weiler, Weiller and others.

Early Notables of the Weil family

Notables with the surname Weil during this period were

  • Adolph von Weiler (b.1812), another son of Baron Georg Leopold Alois, who became a major general in the Baden army and the military commander of Kehl

Weil Ranking

In the United States, the name Weil is the 5,517th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Weil is ranked the 2,517th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2


United States Weil migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Weil Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anna Catharine Weil, who landed in New York, NY in 1709 3
  • Catharina Weil, who arrived in New York in 1709-1710 3
  • Hans Jacob Weil, who landed in New York in 1709 3
  • Nicolas Weil, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
  • Heinrich Weil, who took the oath of allegiance in Pennsylvania in 1744
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Weil Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Weil, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 3
  • Maria Cath Weil, aged 5, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
  • Theodor Weil, aged 24, who landed in Texas in 1844 aboard the ship "Johann Dethardt", he died in 1845 3
  • August Jakob Weil, aged 22, who landed in Texas in 1844 aboard the ship "Johann Dethardt" 3
  • Mrs. Georgine Weil, from Germany with 2 children who arrived in Galveston, Texas aboard the ship "Johann Dethardt" in 1844
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Weil (post 1700) +

  • Cynthia Weil (1940-2023), American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
  • Louis Weil (1935-2022), American Episcopal priest, liturgical scholar, and seminary professor, member of the committee that drafted and proposed the 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the American Episcopal Church
  • Larry Weil (1950-2017), American professional wrestler, manager and trainer, better known by his ring name, "Pretty Boy" Larry Sharpe
  • Liza Weil (b. 1977), American actress
  • Joe Weil (b. 1958), American poet
  • Andrew Thomas Weil (b. 1942), American author and physician
  • Mrs. L. Victor Weil, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1944 4
  • Joseph A. Weil, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly, 1902, 1919, 1922, 1927; Socialist Candidate for New York State Senate 9th District, 1910, 1912, 1926 4
  • John Weil, American Republican politician, California State Treasurer, 1880-83 4
  • G. Lloyd Weil, American politician, Mayor of Akron, Ohio, 1928-31 4
  • ... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Weil +

  • Strangers in the Land: the Story of Jacob Weil's Tribe by Moses Rountree.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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