Show ContentsWidener History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Widener family

The surname Widener was first found in Switzerland, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Widener family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Widener research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Widener History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Widener Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Weidenaver, Weitnauer, Wiedenaver, Weitaver, Wietnaver, Weidenauer, Wiedenauer, Weidnauer, Wiednauer, Weitenauer, Wietenaver, Weitenaver, Widenaver, Widnaver, Widenauer, Widnauer, Witenaver and many more.

Early Notables of the Widener family

More information is included under the topic Early Widener Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Widener Ranking

In the United States, the name Widener is the 8,016th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Widener migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Widener Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George Adam Widener, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Widener (post 1700) +

  • Peter Arrell Brown Widener (1834-1915), American art collector, businessman
  • Jeff Widener (b. 1956), American Pulitzer Prize nominated photographer, best known for his image of the Tank Man confronting a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
  • Chris Widener, American politician, Member of the Ohio Senate
  • Warren Widener, American politician, Mayor of Berkeley, California, 1971-79
  • Joseph Early Widener (1871-1943), American art collector, founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C
  • Hiram Emory Widener Jr. (1923-2007), American jurist, Judge on United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1972-2007), Judge on United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (1969-1972)
  • George Dunton Widener Jr. (1889-1971), American businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner, son of George Dunton Widener Sr
  • Chris Widener (b. 1966), American author and speaker
  • Mary Lee Widener, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972 [3]
  • John B. Widener, American politician, Mayor of Cumberland, Maryland, 1872-73 [3]

RMS Titanic
  • Mrs. Eleanor Widener, (née Elkins), aged 50, American First Class passenger from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 4 [4]
  • Mr. George Dunton Widener (d. 1912), aged 50, American First Class passenger from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking [4]
  • Mr. Harry Elkins Widener (d. 1912), aged 27, American First Class passenger from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking, eponym of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, Harvard [4]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  4. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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