Waggener History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Israel

The German territory of Silesia is the noble birthplace of the surname Waggener. 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 Waggener family

The surname Waggener 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 Waggener family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waggener 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 Waggener History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waggener Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Waggener family

Notables of the period with the surname Waggener 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)...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waggener Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waggener Ranking

In the United States, the name Waggener is the 16,292^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Waggener migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Waggener Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johannes Waggener, who landed in America in 1782 3
Carel Waggener, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1789 3
Johanes Waggener, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1789 3

Waggener Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Waggener, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Waggener (post 1700) +

Arthur Waggener Rhorer (1885-1966), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1920 4

Citations +

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)
"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 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html