|
![Show Contents]() Walther History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Walther is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from the Germanic personal name Walter. The name is composed of the elements wald, meaning rule and heri, meaning army. 1 2 As far as the Watters variant is concerned, "upon the adoption of surnames by the common people, a person who resided near such a place would be called William or John Atte-Water, still retained in Attwater; but on the omission of the preposition in the XV. century, the name was pluralized to Waters. " 3 "Water was the normal medieval pronunciation of Walter." 4 Early Origins of the Walther familyThe surname Walther was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat from early times as Lords of the manor or Crowhurst. Walter of Lorraine (d. 1079), was Bishop of Hereford, a native of Lotharingia or Lorraine, was chaplain of Edith or Eadgyth (d. 1075), the Confessor's queen, and as a reward of his industry was appointed to the bishopric of Hereford at Christmas 1060. 5 Walter of Palermo (fl. 1170), was Archbishop of Palermo, primate and chancellor of Sicily, and was sent to Sicily by Henry II of England as an instructor for young William II of Sicily. 5 Hubert Walter (c.1160-1205) was Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. Weeton in Lancashire was an early home of the family. "This place, in Domesday Book called Widetun, was early in the family of Walter." 6 "The church [of Woolvercott in Lancashire], situated on the bank of the Isis, has a sepulchral chapel on the north side, containing a stately monument to the family of Walter, of whom David Walter was High Sheriff of the county, and commanded a regiment of horse under Charles I. in the parliamentary war." 6 About the same time, Greenalgh with Thistleton, again in Lancashire was home to another branch of the family. It was here that the manor of Greenalgh-cum-Thistleton was held in the reign of Charles I. 6 As mentioned above, the surnames Walter and Watter were interchangeable so accordingly early rolls had a mixture of phonetic entries, both as a forename and surname. The first record for the family was found in 1066 where the ancient Latin form of the name was listed, Walterusepiscopus. This entry was made at the time of the Conquest. Twenty years later, Robertus filius Walterii, Galterii was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. Later Galterus le Lingedraper was listed at Oseney, Oxfordshire in 1210 and Petrus Walterus was listed at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1182. The Pipe Rolls for 1191 in Suffolk included an entry for Petrus Walteri and Geoffrey Walter was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 4 Waterus de Cantelupo was listed in Lincolnshire c. 1135; Walterus, Walterus filius Herberti was similarly listed in Lincolnshire; John Watter was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Warwickshire in 1214; Richard Wauter and Roger Watter were found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; Hugh Water was found in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1279; Alice Waters in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327; and John Wauters in Warwickshire in 1348. 4 Early History of the Walther familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walther research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1412, 1566, 1604, 1611, 1628, 1629, 1630, 1675, 1678, 1847 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Walther History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Walther Spelling VariationsBefore the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Walther family name include Walter, Walters, Watter, Watters, Walthew, Wattis and others. Early Notables of the Walther familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was John Walter or FitzWalter (d. 1412?), an early astrologer, educated at Winchester and Oxford. He died at Winchester, and was buried there about 1412. 5
Sir John Walter (1566-1630), was an English judge, second son of Edmund Walter of Ludlow, Shropshire. 5
Henry...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walther Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Walther RankingIn the United States, the name Walther is the 5,248th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Walther is ranked the 3,781st most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 8  Migration of the Walther family to Ireland
Some of the Walther family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Walther migration to the United States | + |
To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Walther family to immigrate North America:
Walther Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Wilhelm Walther, who settled in Philadelphia in 1773
- Wilhelm Walther, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1774 9
Walther Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Mr. Wilh. Walther, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Joh. Derhardt"
- Mr. Wilhelm Walther, aged 50, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1847 aboard the ship "Natchez"
- Mrs. Caroline Walther, aged 25, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1847 aboard the ship "Natchez"
- Guenther Walther, who settled in Texas with his family in 1854
| Contemporary Notables of the name Walther (post 1700) | + |
- Paul G. Walther (1927-2014), American NBA basketball player, NBA All-Star (1952)
- David "Salt" Walther (b. 1947), American former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series
- Eugenio Elorduy Walther (1940-2023), Mexican politician
- Frédéric Henri Walther, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 10
- Erich Walther (1903-1947), German general of the Fallschirmjäger
- Frederic-Louis-Henri Walther (1761-1813), Alsatian-born general of division and a supporter of Napoleon
- Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748), German music theorist, organist, composer, and lexicographer
- Carl Walther Strom (1899-1969), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, 1956; Bolivia, 1959-61 11
- Werner Walther Kemper (1899-1975), German physician and psychoanalyst
- Walther Dürr (1932-2018), German musicologist
| Historic Events for the Walther family | + |
USS Arizona - Mr. Edward Alfred Walther, American Fire Controlman Third Class 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 12
| Suggested Readings for the name Walther | + |
- Walther Family Recollections by Emma Gene Seale.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) Frédéric Walther. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
|
Walther migration to the United States 
England
Germany
Ireland
