Grunewalelt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancient German region of the Rhineland was the original home of the ancestors of the Grunewalelt surname. Grunewalelt was a local name, a type of hereditary surname that identified people by the places where they lived. Landowners were the first to use local names, and they often attached the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from," to the surname. Often, the use of "von" was a mark of aristocratic birth. Local names are by far the most common style of German hereditary surname. Grunewalelt was a name for someone who lived close to the village green. Grunewalelt is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names.

Early Origins of the Grunewalelt family

The surname Grunewalelt was first found in Rhineland, (Strasbourg) where since ancient times the Grunwald family made significant contributions to the region's feudal society. Subsequently, the family became prominent in local affairs and often merged with other distinguished families, some of whom played important roles in the territorial conflicts of the period.

Early History of the Grunewalelt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grunewalelt research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1460, 1528 and 1694 are included under the topic Early Grunewalelt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grunewalelt Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Grunewalelt include Gruenwald, Gruenewald, Gruenenwald, Grunewald, Gruenwalt, Grunewalt, Grunenwaldt, Grunewalelt, Grunwald, Grunwaldt and many more.

Early Notables of the Grunewalelt family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grunewalelt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grunewalelt migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Grunewalelt, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Grunewalelt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Grunewalelt, who arrived in St. Clair County, Illinois in 1854
Henry Grunewalelt, who landed in St Clair County, III in 1854 1

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)