Wirtz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The German name Wirtz has evolved from several different sources. First, the name may be a derived from the Middle High German word "wert" meaning "river island," or "river bank." Secondly, it may have derived from the ancient personal name Werner, composed of the Old High German "warjan" meaning "protection" and "hari" meaning "army." Thirdly, the name may be derived from the Middle High German word "wurz" which meant "greenery" or "herb." Additionally, the name Wirtz may have been an occupational name for a green grocer. Finally, it also possible that as a surname, Wirtz was derived from a place name, such as the town named Wurzberg, in the Odenwald region.
Early Origins of the Wirtz family
The surname Wirtz was first found in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Southwestern Germany, where a Werzo Carpentarius was listed as residing in Worms in 1277. Another early instance of the name is of Conrad der alt Wurz (the elder Conrad,) who was listed in the "Wurttembergische Viertelsjahrhefte fur Landesgeschichte," as being a citizen of Horkheim in 1370.
Early History of the Wirtz family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wirtz research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1417, 1477, 1487, 1510, 1563 and 1590 are included under the topic Early Wirtz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wirtz Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Wertz, Werz, Wert, Wurz, Wurtz, Wirz and others.
Early Notables of the Wirtz family
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wirtz Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wirtz Ranking
In the United States, the name Wirtz is the 10,957th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Wirtz migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wirtz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Jacob Wirtz, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1731
- Jacob Wirtz, aged 26, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 2
- Hans Conrad Wirtz, aged 26, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1735 2
- Johannes Conrad Wirtz, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1735 2
- Lisa Magdalena Wirtz, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1737
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wirtz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Anne Marie Wirtz, who settled in America in 1835
- William Wirtz, aged 30, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1848 2
- George Wirtz, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 2
- Anton Wirtz, aged 32, who landed in America in 1857 2
- Girt Wirtz, aged 44, who arrived in New York in 1862 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wirtz migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wirtz Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- John Peter Wirtz, who arrived in Canada in 1841
Contemporary Notables of the name Wirtz (post 1700) +
- William Willard Wirtz (1912-2010), American administrator, 10th Secretary of Labor (1962-1969)
- William Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz (1952-2023), American businessman and principal owner and chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League
- Arthur Wirtz (1901-1983), American businessman, owner Chicago Blackhawks & Bulls
- Alvin J. Wirtz (1888-1951), American lawyer, Under Secretary for the Department of the Interior (1940-1941)
- Karl Eugen Julius Wirtz (1910-1994), German nuclear physicist
- Carl Wilhelm Wirtz (1876-1939), German astronomer
- Kris Wirtz (b. 1969), Canadian figure skater
Historic Events for the Wirtz family +
Bismarck
- Matthias Wirtz (1923-1941), German Matrose who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 3
Citations +
- "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)
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details