Greenwalt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Greenwalt

What does the name Greenwalt mean?

Greenwalt is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived as dwellers beside the green grassy hill or body of water. The name comes from the Old English words "green," and "well." No doubt, the first to use this surname were a family who lived on lush green ground near a well, spring or stream. As such, the surname is classed as a topographic surname, one based on physical features near the residence, such as hills, streams, churches, etc.

Early Origins of the Greenwalt family

The surname Greenwalt was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from very ancient times, as Lords of the manor of Greenwell in the parish of Walsingham, and are descended from Gulielmus the Presbyter who held those lands in 1183. His son James assumed the name of the lands, Greenwell. 1

"Greenwell is a very ancient Durham surname. The Greenwells of Stobilee, who carry their pedigree back to the beginning of the 16th century, seem to have been one of the principal stocks in modern times; the property of Broomshields has been for four centuries in the possession of a branch of this family." 2

Early History of the Greenwalt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greenwalt research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Greenwalt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greenwalt Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Greenwalt family name include Grenwell, Greenwell, Greenwall, Grenwall and others.

Early Notables of the Greenwalt family

More information is included under the topic Early Greenwalt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greenwalt Ranking

In the United States, the name Greenwalt is the 13,772^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Greenwalt migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Greenwalt surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Greenwalt Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Philip Greenwalt, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1759 4

Greenwalt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Greenwalt, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1842 4
John Greenwalt, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 4
A Greenwalt, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 4
Charles Greenwalt, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Greenwalt (post 1700) +

David Greenwalt (b. 1949), American screenwriter, director and producer, best known as the co-executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and co-creator of Angel
William S. Greenwalt, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York, 1970, 1974 5
Roy D. Greenwalt, American politician, Mayor of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 1948 5
Gilbert C. Greenwalt, American politician, Secretary of State of Iowa, 1931-33 5
George W. Greenwalt, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Nebraska State House of Representatives 58th District, 1913-17 5

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"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 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html