Welle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The name Welle comes from the German region of Westphalia. The tradition of adopting hereditary surnames came to Germany after the 12th century, and the names of places where people lived were a primary source. Many local names carry the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from". It originally indicated land ownership, and is sometimes a mark of nobility. The Welle family originally lived by or near a spring. The name Welle is derived from the Low German word welle, which means spring or well. The er is a common suffix for German names. There are numerous places in the German states that were named Well, Welling,Waelling, and Wellingen or that contain these root words. For example, there are places named Wellingshofen and Wellinghusen in Holstein and there is a place called Wellingbuettel in Hamburg.

Early Origins of the Welle family

The surname Welle was first found in the Rhineland and Westphalia, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation. Chronicles first mention Nicolaus Weller of Liegnitz in Silesia in 1387, Heinrich Weller of Basel, Switzerland in the 13th century, and Heyne von Wellen of Haldesleben in the 14th century. Welle is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony.

Early History of the Welle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Welle research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1705, 1711, 1774 and 1811 are included under the topic Early Welle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Welle Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Welle include Well, Weller (Westphalia), Welle (Westphalia), Wellers, Wellner and many more.

Early Notables of the Welle family

Notables of the period with the name Welle were Johann Jacob Well, who was ennobled in 1774 in reward for his outstanding services as a pharmacist and...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Welle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Welle migration to the United States +

For many Germans, emigration to North America was an inviting alternative to the trials of life in the old country. From the mid-17th into the present century, thousands of Germans migrated across the Atlantic. They capitalized on the chance to escape poverty and persecution, and to own their own land. After 1650, Germans settled throughout the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also landed in Canada, settling in Ontario or father west on the rich land of the prairies. Among them:

Welle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Welle, aged 17, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 1

Welle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Pierre Welle, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1768 1

Welle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christoph Welle, who landed in America in 1834 1
Francis Welle, who arrived in New York, NY in 1843 1
Geertru Welle, aged 5, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 1
Gybertje Welle, aged 21, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 1
Gysbertje Welle, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Welle (post 1700) +

Alan Welle (b. 1945), American politician and businessman, born in Melrose, Minnesota, he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1983 to 1994
John P. Welle, American professor of Italian Studies and translator of poems from Italian to English, awarded the Raiziss/de Palchi Book Prize in 1999
Klaus Welle (b. 1964), German politician, Secretary General of the European Parliament (2009-), Head of the Office of the President of the European Parliament (2007-2009)

Citations +

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)