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Wier History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Wier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland

The surname Wier has a few possible origins. The name may be toponymic, from a place name near which the original bearer lived or held land. Place names which could have inspired the surname Wier could be Weier, Weiher, Wieren, and Weyer in Germany or Wierum in Holland. Or the surname could be locative, from a geographical feature near where the bearer resided. In either case, the name would be derived from the Middle German word "weiher" meaning "a pond or still water" or from the old German water-word "wir." The surname Wier may also be patronymic, from the first name of the father of the initial bearer. In this case, the surname Wier would come from the personal name Wigheri, stemming from "weihen" meaning "holy."

Early Origins of the Wier family

The surname Wier was first found in Westphalia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families in the western region. From the 13th century onwards the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. Haintz Weyer from Heudorf was recorded in Riedlingen in 1434, and Magdalena zum Weiher, widow of Erasmus zum Wiger, in Freiburg in 1572. A shoemaker named Martin Weyermann was mentioned in documents of 1644.

Early History of the Wier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wier research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1596, 1610, 1620, 1621, 1623, 1640, 1666, 1670, 1690 and 1842 are included under the topic Early Wier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wier Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Weyer, Weyher, Wier, Weyhe, Weyier, van der Weyer, van den Weyer, Weye, Weyers, Wyers, Wyer, Wiermann and many more.

Early Notables of the Wier family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wier Ranking

In the United States, the name Wier is the 11,928^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Wier migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Wier, who landed in Maryland in 1668 2

Wier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Archibald Wier, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1721
Andreas Wier, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 2

Wier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Archibald Wier, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Joseph Wier, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 2
Patrick Wier, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1818 2
William Wier, who arrived in Mississippi in 1831 2

Wier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Daniel Wier, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1761

Contemporary Notables of the name Wier (post 1700) +

Murray Neal Wier (1926-2016), nicknamed "Rampaging Redhead" and "Wizard Wier," an American professional basketball player
Robert W. Wier, American founder of the Wier Longleaf Lumber Company, East Texas that ran from 1917 to 1944 and founder of Wiergate, Texas
Roy Wier (1888-1963), American politician, U.S. Representative from Minnesota
Ester Wier (1910-2000), American writer
Dara Wier (b. 1949), American poet
Allen Wier (b. 1946), American writer and professor at the University of Tennessee
Roy William Wier (1888-1963), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1933-39; U.S. Representative from Minnesota 3rd District, 1949-61; Defeated, 1946, 1960 3
Herbert W. Wier, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Batavia, 1922 3
A. J. Wier, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1907 3
Russell Allen "Rusty" Wier (1944-2009), American singer-songwriter from Texas, best known for his "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance", inductee into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame (2002)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wier family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. William Lewis Wier (1850-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 4
Mr. Joseph Wier (1879-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 4

Citations +

"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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