Wieman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The Wieman family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules, and names that were derived from locations became particularly common. The family name Wieman is a local surname. Originally denoting the proprietorship of an estate or influence within a village, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Wieman was given to someone who lived near a willow tree or near a meadow. The name is composed of the elements Wieden, which derives from the German word weide and can mean either willow or meadow, and mann, which means man.

Early Origins of the Wieman family

The surname Wieman was first found in Bavaria, where the name could be considered to have made a major contribution to the feudal society which shaped the course of early European development. The name became prominent in civil affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the widespread tribal and national conflicts, as each group sought supremacy in an ever changing territorial profile.

Early History of the Wieman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wieman research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1841, 1852 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Wieman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wieman 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 Wieman include Wiedemann, Wiedman, Wiedmann, Wiedeman, Wiemann, Wieman, Wiedemar, Wiedmar, Wiedemer and many more.

Early Notables of the Wieman family

Prominent among members of the name Wieman in this period include Carl Wiedemann, who began as a major in the Austrian army, rose to general major and then Commander of the papal Gregor Order of Knights. He was named honored citizen (Ehrenbuerger) of the city Wadowice, married Anna Gussner von Komorna...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wieman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wieman migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Wieman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Wieman, aged 23, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1838 1
Hieroneymous George Anton Wieman, aged 32, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1852 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Wieman (post 1700) +

Carl Edwin Wieman (b. 1951), American physicist awarded a share of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics
Julius L. Wieman, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 18th District, 1894-95; Member of New York State Senate 9th District, 1896-98 2
F. W. Wieman, American Republican politician, Chair of Lincoln County Republican Party, 1949 2

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html