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![Show Contents]() Wessel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Wessel familyThe surname Wessel was first found in Wasdale, or Nether Wasdale, a chapelry, in the parish of St. Bees, union of Whitehaven in Cumberland. Wasdale-Head is a chapelry, nit far from Wasdale. 1 The earliest spelling of the place name was Wastedale in 1279 in the Hundredorum Rolls. By 1334, the place name was known as Wascedaleheved and literally meant "valley of the water or lake". 2 As far as the surname is concerned, it could also have been a Norman name as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae of 1180 listed Roger and Hugh Wastel living in Normandy at that time. 3 However, another source notes that the name could also have derived from a type of "fine bread" or "wassail-bowl" as Chaucer notes as "Prioress fed her hounds with Wastel brede." 4 Exploring the origins of the name in ancient Britain led to the year 1182 when Ralph Wastel held lands in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Soon thereafter the family branched north to Westmorland where they acquired Wastell-head. Ralph and Richard Wastel were listed the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 5 The Wacelin variant has a slightly different origin. "Gacelin, or Wazelin, probably a noble of Anjou, held lands from Geoffrey de Wirce in Lincoln 1086. John Wascelin was of Lincoln 1189, and Reginald held of Crevecoeur 6. Geofifry Gascelyn was summoned to parliament by writ, 1259. " 3 "This must have been the Geoffrey Watelin or Wacelin entered in the Hundred Rolls, c. 1272, as seated in Norfolk, who was a benefactor of Jerveaulx Abbey. The family continued in Lincolnshire for a considerable time. Richard de Wacelyn or Walkelin, 28 Hen. III, held in Foteburne, in that county, by the serjeanty of finding (with two others) one balistar, with six quarrels and a sumpter horse, in the King's army, for forty days." 7 Early History of the Wessel familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wessel research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1406, 1410, 1455, 1460, 1487, 1515, 1592, 1599, 1602, 1623 and 1632 are included under the topic Early Wessel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Wessel Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Wastell, Wastall, Wassell, Washtell, Wassall, Gastell, Westell, Wastoile, Westoile, Waistell, Wassell, Wessel, Wessell and many more. Early Notables of the Wessel familyDistinguished members of the family include Robert Wastell (fl. 1406-1410) from Totnes, Devon, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Totnes in 1406 and 1410; and John Wastell (1460-1515), English Gothic architect responsible for Manchester Cathedral, parts of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, the crossing tower (Bell Harry Tower) of Canterbury Cathedral, and the fan vaulted section of Peterborough Cathedral.
Simon Wastell (died 1632), was a...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wessel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Wessel RankingIn the United States, the name Wessel is the 5,932nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 8
 Wessel migration to the United States | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Wessel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- David Wessel, who settled in New York, NY in 1657
Wessel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Cassimir Wessel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1741 9
Wessel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Samuel Wessel, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Philadelphia in 1804
- Samuel Wessel, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 9
- Eberh Heinr Adolph Wessel, aged 25, who landed in America in 1817 9
- Herm Wessel, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 9
- Joh. B. Wessel, who arrived in Baltimore in 1834
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Wessel migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Wessel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Anna Wessel, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Cassen Wessel, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Catherina Wessel, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Friederich Wessel, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Margereta Wessel, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Wessel (post 1700) | + |
- Morris Arthur Wessel (1917-2016), American pediatrician, clinical professor of pediatrics at Yale Medical School
- Henry Wessel Jr. (b. 1942), American photographer
- Mark Wessel (1894-1973), American pianist and composer
- Michael Wade Wessel (b. 1977), American heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter
- Dick Wessel (1913-1965), American actor
- Bernhard Wessel (1936-2022), German footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most notably for Borussia Dortmund (1959-1969)
- Wilhelm Wessel, German book publisher of the 17th century
- Franz Wessel (1903-1958), German judge
- Helene Wessel (1898-1969), German politician
- Ute Kircheis Wessel (b. 1953), German fencer
- ... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Historic Events for the Wessel family | + |
Bismarck - Hans Jürgen Wessel (1920-1941), German Fähnrich (W) who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 10
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
- "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)
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
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Wessel migration to the United States 
Wessel migration to Canada 
England
Germany
