Show ContentsWettin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wettin family

The surname Wettin was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held lands.

Early History of the Wettin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wettin research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Wettin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wettin Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Wettin are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Wettin include Wettyn, Wetney, Wettyng, Wetting, Wettning, Wetning, Wetnang and many more.

Early Notables of the Wettin family

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


United States Wettin migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Wettin, or a variant listed above:

Wettin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Wettin, who settled in in Jamaica in 1682
Wettin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Anton Wettin, age 36, and Dorothea Wettin, who arrived in America on Dec 20, 1860 aboard the "Eremis"
  • Carl Wettin, age 32, who arrived in America on Oct 9, 1866

West Indies Wettin migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 1
Wettin Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John Wettin, who landed in Jamaica in 1682 2


  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  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)


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