Wagoner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The German territory of Silesia is the noble birthplace of the surname Wagoner. 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 Wagoner family
The surname Wagoner 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 Wagoner family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wagoner 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 Wagoner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wagoner Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Wagner, Wegner, Wagoner, Wagener, Waganer, Waggener and many more.
Early Notables of the Wagoner family
Notables of the period with the surname Wagoner 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 Wagoner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wagoner Ranking
In the United States, the name Wagoner is the 2,348th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2
Wagoner migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wagoner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Peter Wagoner, who arrived in Maryland in 1702-1703 3
- Sebastian Wagoner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 3
- Elias Wagoner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 3
- William Wagoner, aged 42, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 3
- Johans Wagoner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wagoner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Yorick Wagoner, aged 28, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- Jacob Wagoner, aged 25, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- John Wagoner, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 3
- Henry Wagoner, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 3
- Christopher Wagoner, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wagoner Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Otto Wagoner, who landed in Arkansas in 1906 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Wagoner (post 1700) +
- Winfred E. Wagoner (1888-1948), American educator
- Murray Van Wagoner (1898-1986), American politician, 38th Governor of Michigan from 1941 to 1942
- Mark Wagoner (b. 1971), American politician, formerly in the Ohio House of Representatives
- Kenneth S. Wagoner (1911-1998), American professor and skin scientist
- George Richard "Rick" Wagoner Jr. (b. 1953), American businessman, former General Motors chief executive officer
- Porter Wagoner (1927-2007), American country music singer, member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
- David Wagoner (b. 1926), American poet, nominee for two National Book Awards
- Dan Wagoner (b. 1932), American modern dancer
- James Van Wagoner, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Saginaw County 1st District, 1950 4
- Garret Van Wagoner, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Passaic County, 1865-66 4
- ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Wagoner +
- The Descendants of Michael Wagoner, ca. 1774-1826 by Margaret M. Wagner.
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 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html