Zwicker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The German state of Bavaria is the ancestral home of the Zwicker family. Zwicker is a local name. Zwicker is a name for someone who lived in the town of Zwickl in Bavaria. In the eastern regions of Bohemia and Silesia, Zwicker or Zwicke was a short form of Zwickauer, which denoted a person from the Saxon city of Zwickau. In Old German, the words Zwick, Zwack, or Zweck meant nails orbolts, and the verb zwicken or zwacken meant to pack or load.

Early Origins of the Zwicker family

The surname Zwicker was first found in Bavaria, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. Zwickl is a town in Bavaria, and Berchtold der Zwickel was the founder of a prominent line of the family in the Bavarian city Augsburg around 1317. In the eastern regions of Bohemia and Silesia, Zwicker or Zwicke was a short form of the label "Zwickauer," applied to a person from the Saxon city of Zwickau. For instance, Herman Czwicker (Czickower) was recorded in the Silesian city Breslau in 1348. Chronicles also mention Heinrich Zwick of the Swiss town St. Gallen in the year 1436. In Old-German, the words Zwick, Zwack, or Zweck referred literally to nails or bolts, and the verb "zwicken" or "zwacken" meant to pack or load.

Early History of the Zwicker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Zwicker research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1403, 1709 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Zwicker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Zwicker Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Zwicker include Zwick, Zwickel, Zwicker (Saxony), Zwicke (Silesia), Zwickert (Silesia), Zwicken, Zwicki (Switzerland), Zwicky (Switzerland), Zwack (Bavaria), Zwacker, Zweck and many more.

Early Notables of the Zwicker family

Prominent among members of the name Zwicker in this period include

Petrus Zwicker (died 1403), East Prussian Inquisitor and cleric of the Roman Catholic Order of the Celestines, (1391-1403) he led one of the largest inquisitorial operations in the German-speaking wor...

Zwicker migration to the United States +

European migration to North America began in the mid-17th century and continued unabated until the mid-20th. Many Bavarians made the long trip to escape poverty or persecution based on their religious beliefs. The chance for tenant farmers to own their own land was also a major drawing card. They settled all across the United States in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many came to Canada also, settling in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Zwickers to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Zwicker Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

while Wendel Zwicker, who settled in Philadelphia in 1737
Georg Melchior Zwicker, who landed in America in 1750 1
Johann Georg Zwicker, who landed in America in 1750 1
Johann Peter Zwicker, who arrived in America in 1750 1
Maria Barbara Zwicker, who landed in America in 1750 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Zwicker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Regina Dorothea Zwicker, who landed in America in 1853 1

Zwicker migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Zwicker Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Barbara Zwicker, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
George Zwicker, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Magdelena Zwicker, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Maria Zwicker, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Melchior Zwicker, 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 Zwicker (post 1700) +

Virgil Zwicker (b. 1982), American mixed martial artist from San Diego, California
Steven Nathan Zwicker (b. 1943), American literary scholar from San Diego, California, Stanley Elkin Professor in the Humanities in Arts and Sciences at Washington University
Hans-Peter Zwicker (b. 1960), Swiss retired football striker

Historic Events for the Zwicker family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Stella Zwicker (1880-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 2
Mr. Clarence Everett Zwicker (1882-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 2
Mrs. Mary Minnie Zwicker (1892-1917), Canadian resident from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 2
Master Gordon Zwicker (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Naval Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 2

Citations +

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)
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance