Show ContentsWunder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wunder family

The surname Wunder was first found in Bavaria, where the name was closely identified in early medieval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. Bearers of the name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs. The name comes from the Old High German word "wundar," meaning "marvel or puzzle." It probably originated as a nickname for someone mysterious or eccentric.

Early History of the Wunder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wunder research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wunder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wunder Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wunder, Wundar, Wunderlich, Winderlich, Winder and others.

Early Notables of the Wunder family

Prominent among members of the name Wunder in this period include

  • the Wunder family of Nordlingen

Wunder Ranking

In the United States, the name Wunder is the 12,698th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Wunder migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wunder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Caspar Wunder, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 [2]
  • Philip Jacob Wunder, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 [2]
  • Phil Friederich Wunder, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 [2]
  • John George Wunder, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1763 [2]
  • Jorg Adam Wunder, who arrived in America in 1765 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wunder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • G Wunder, who arrived in New York, NY in 1851 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Wunder (post 1700) +

  • George S. Wunder (1912-1987), American cartoonist, best known for his 26 years illustrating the Terry and the Pirates comic strip
  • Lewis H. Wunder, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Reading, Pennsylvania, 1853-57 [3]
  • Klaus Wunder (1950-2024), German former footballer who played from 1969 to 1980, member of the West Germany National Team (1970-1973)
  • Karl Friedrich Wunder (1849-1924), German photographer, publisher of photo books and postcards
  • Eduard Wunder (1800-1869), German philologist, and from 1843 to 1866 Rector of the Fürstenschule Grimma in Saxony
  • Herta Wunder (1913-1992), German freestyle swimmer at the 1928 Summer Olympics
  • Gerrit Wunder, Austrian film composer and graduate of University of Music and performing arts Vienna living in Los Angeles, one of the winners of the 21st annual Pete Carpenter Fellowship
  • Ingolf Wunder (b. 1985), Austrian classical pianist, second prize winner at the XVI International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland.
  • Richard Wunder (b. 1984), Liechtenstein bobsledder at the 2010 Winter Olympics and flag bearer during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony


  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, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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