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![Show Contents]() Waldraff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Germany
The surname Waldraff could be of patronymic origin, derived from the name of the father of the original bearer, indicating the "son of Waldrap." The Germanic personal name Waldrap, is a short form of Walraven, a name used mostly among nobles, knights, and patricians. It stems from the Germanic words "wald" meaning "forest" and "rabe" meaning "raven." Alternatively, the surname Waldraff can be of locative origin, derived from a geographical feature near where the original bearer once dwelled. In this case the surname Waldraff comes from the Germanic "wald" meaning "forest" and the Old Norse "throp" meaning "hamlet or small settlement." Thus the surname may signify "dweller by the forest hamlet." Early Origins of the Waldraff familyThe surname Waldraff was first found in the Lower Rhineland, where it was a popular name. References to the surname can be found in German documents dating back to the very late 13th and early 14th centuries. Detmar Walraven lived in Lubeck in 1299, and one named Walraf was a city official and resident of Herbertingen in 1345. Gobel Walrave was a resident of the city of Cologne in 1417. Andreas Waldraff resided in Constance in 1580, and in 1582 his name is listed as Andreas Wallraff. Early History of the Waldraff familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waldraff research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1689, 1720, 1724, 1748 and 1824 are included under the topic Early Waldraff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Waldraff Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Waldrep, Waldrip, Waldrop, Waltrap, Waltrip, Waltrup, Walrab, Waldraff, Wallraff, Waldroff, Wohlrab and many more. Early Notables of the Waldraff familyNotables with the name Waldraff during this period were Verschliffen Walrabe, who was the Archbishop of Cologne in 1340, and the Wallrave family of Prussia, who...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waldraff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Waldraff familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: William Walraf, who arrived in England in 1709 on the way to settling in America, Gerhardt Walraht, who arrived in New York in 1710; Henrich Waldrop, who served as a mercenary soldier with the British during the American Revolution, and settled in North America in 1784. Wiley Waldrope immigrated to Texas in 1835.
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