Wever History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Wever reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Wever is for a weaver. The surname Wever was originally derived from the Old English word wefan, meaning a person who weaves cloth from long strands of fibre. 1
Alternatively, the name could have been Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Hubert de Wevre, in Normandy in 1198. The same source notes Robert, Hugh, Ernald, Oger, Serlo, William, Gerard, Gauffrid Textor in Normandy 1180-95. 2
Early Origins of the Wever family
The surname Wever was first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat at the time of the Conquest, and Lords of the manor of Weaver. 3 They were descended from the Norman, Le Wevere.
One of the first records of the family in early rolls was Simon de Wevere in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1259. A few years later in Sussex, we found John le Weuere and William Weuere in the Subsidy Rolls for 1296. 4
Early History of the Wever family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wever research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1550, 1603, 1616, 1627, 1630, 1633, 1638, 1639, 1640, 1645, 1649, 1653, 1663, 1673, 1685, 1687 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Wever History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wever Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Wever are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Wever include Weaver, Wever, Weever and others.
Early Notables of the Wever family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Robert Wever (fl 1550), an English poet and dramatist; John Weaver (died 1685), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Stamford (1645); Robert Weaver (c.1630-1687), an English politician; and...
Wever Ranking
In Netherlands, the name Wever is the 491st most popular surname with an estimated 3,512 people with that name. 5
Wever migration to the United States +
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Wever, or a variant listed above:
Wever Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Mr. Richard Wever, aged 27, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" 6
- Eliza Wever, who landed in Virginia in 1698 7
Contemporary Notables of the name Wever (post 1700) +
- Stefan Matthew Wever (b. 1958), West German-born, American Major League Baseball pitcher who played one game with the New York Yankees in 1982
- John Madison Wever (1847-1914), American politician, U.S. Representative from New York (1891-1893) and (1893-1895)
- Siobhán Merritt Wever (b. 1980), American Primetime Emmy Award winning actress, known for her work on Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), Nurse Jackie (2009) and Signs (2002)
- Elfriede Wever (1900-1941), German runner at the 1928 Olympics
- Rütger Wever (d. 2010), German scientist, best known for his contributions to the field of Chronobiology
- Bart Albert Liliane De Wever (b. 1970), Belgian politician, Mayor of Antwerp (2013-)
- Walther Wever (1923-1945), German Luftwaffe flying ace with 44 aerial victories, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, son of Walther Wever
- Walther Wever (1887-1936), German Luftwaffe Commander, an early proponent of the theory of strategic bombing
- Walther Wever, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 44 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Wever Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Esto fidelis
Motto Translation: Be Faithful.
Citations +
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
- Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- 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)