Show ContentsWagner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German territory of Silesia is the noble birthplace of the surname Wagner. The name is derived from the Middle High German term "wagener," meaning "one who drives or makes wagons," and would likely have been initially borne by a wheelwright or carriage maker. [1]

Early Origins of the Wagner family

The surname Wagner was first found in Liegnitz, where Nitsche wayner (wagener) was recorded in 1372. [1]

In medieval times the feudal lord often owned several manors and it was necessary to transport produce from one place to another by two-wheeled, horse-drawn carts. The "wagener" would have been a member of the lord's household responsible for this carriage of goods. References to this name in written records occur as early as the thirteenth century when the "Wurttembergisches Urkundenbuch" makes mention of one Bertoldus dictus Wagenare residing in Eriskirch at that time. Later, the "Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch" notes two brothers, Henricus and Berchtoldus, who were styled Wagenere, natives of Freiburg.

The famed composer and conductor Richard Wagner (1813-1883), best known for his four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) hailed from Leipzig, Upper Saxon.

Early History of the Wagner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wagner research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1656, 1660, 1717, 1742, 1745, 1747, 1762, 1779, 1812, 1813, 1845, 1869, 1883 and 1930 are included under the topic Early Wagner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wagner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wagner, Wegner, Wagoner, Wagener, Waganer, Waggener and many more.

Early Notables of the Wagner family

Notables of the period with the surname Wagner were

  • Gabriel Wagner (c.1660-c.1717), a radical German philosopher and materialist who wrote under the nom-de-plume Realis de Vienna
  • Heinrich Leopold Wagner (1747-1779), who was a German dramatist of the Storm and Stress period. The most famous Wagner is unquestionably Richard Wagner (1813-1883), who, as a composer, conductor, poet...

Wagner World Ranking

In the United States, the name Wagner is the 171st most popular surname with an estimated 136,785 people with that name. [2] However, in Canada, the name Wagner is ranked the 394th most popular surname with an estimated 11,749 people with that name. [3] And in France, the name Wagner is the 334th popular surname with an estimated 11,992 people with that name. [4] Australia ranks Wagner as 946th with 4,186 people. [5]


United States Wagner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wagner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Andreas Wagner, who immigrated to America with his wife and two children in 1709
  • Carl Wagner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 [6]
  • Augustus Wagner, aged 19, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 [6]
  • Abraham Wagner, who settled in Philadelphia in 1737
  • Antonus Wagner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wagner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Wagner, who settled in Mississippi at the age of 18 in 1820
  • Augustus Wagner, who settled in Baltimore in 1823
  • Conrad Wagner, who landed in Maryland in 1826 [6]
  • Adam Wagner, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 [6]
  • Anton Wagner, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1844 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wagner Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Emil Wagner, aged 17, who landed in New York, NY in 1903 [6]

Canada Wagner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wagner Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Cathrina Wagner, aged 50, who arrived in Quebec in 1893
  • Charlotte Wagner, aged 17, who arrived in Quebec in 1893

Australia Wagner migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Wagner Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Therese Wagner, aged 32, who arrived in South Australia in 1847 aboard the ship "Hermann von Beckerath" [7]
  • Miss Anna Wagner, (b. 1855), aged 33, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Bulimba" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 21st February 1888 [8]

New Zealand Wagner migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wagner Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Wagner, (b. 1815), aged 41, British tailor travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hercus" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th January 1856 [9]
  • Mr. Martin Wagner, (b. 1830), aged 28, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 [9]
  • Mrs. Mary Wagner, (b. 1834), aged 24, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 [9]
  • James Wagner, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rob Roy" in 1865
  • Mr. Fredrich Wagner, (b. 1837), aged 35, German farm labourer travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 [10]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wagner (post 1700) +

  • Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883), very influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, best remembered for monumental four-opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (The Ring Cycle) in 1876
  • Robert C. Wagner (1947-2023), American college football coach. He was head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1988 to 1995
  • Robin Samuel Anton Wagner (1933-2023), American scenic designer, six-time winner of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, three-time Tony award for Best Scenic Design winner
  • Eric Wagner (1959-2021), American heavy metal singer who is best known for his work with doom metal band Trouble
  • Michael J. Wagner (1941-2014), American businessman and politician, Member of the Maryland House of Delegates (1974-1977) and Senate (1978-1994)
  • Peter J. Wagner (b. 1964), American paleontologist and curator at the Smithsonian Institution
  • Gary Edward Wagner (b. 1940), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Milton "Milt" Wagner (b. 1963), retired American NBA basketball player
  • Ryan Scott Wagner (b. 1982), American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
  • Paul Allen Wagner (b. 1967), American former Major League Baseball player
  • ... (Another 33 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bismarck
  • Ludwig Wagner (1916-1941), German Matrosenobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [11]
  • Leopold Wagner (1918-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [11]
  • Johann Wagner (1922-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [11]
  • Helmut Wagner (1919-1941), German Maschinenobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [11]
  • Gerhard Wagner (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [11]
  • ... (Another 1 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • Raymond Ronald Wagner (1936-1988), American First Officer from Pennington, New Jersey, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died [12]
Triangle Waist Company
  • Miss Minnie Wagner, American worker who was at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire [13]
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Robert E. Wagner, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking [14]
  • Mr. Rudolph L. Wagner, American Chief Boatswain's Mate working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking [14]
  • Mr. Mearl James Wagner, American Ship's Cook Second Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [14]


Suggested Readings for the name Wagner +

  • Wagners Wagons Westward by Thelma Behimer Wagner.
  • John Wagner and His Twelve Children of Harrison County, Ohio and Surrounding Counties, 1776-1984 by Audrey L. Wagner.
  • The Descendants of Michael Wagoner, ca. 1774-1826 by Margaret M. Wagner.

  1. Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  6. 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)
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HERMANN VON BECKERATH 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847HermanVonBeckerath.htm
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
  12. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
  13. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire
  14. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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