Contents [hide]

Gunther History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Gunther History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany
Wales

Like many surnames, the name Gunther comes from a personal name, in this case, from Gunter or Gunther. Such names may be patronymic, signifying that the person's father was named Gunther, or they may simply have been chosen arbitrarily at the time when people were taking surnames. Gunther is a French and German name, coming from the Old French "gontier" or the Old German "gunter," both of which mean "battle-army."

However one source notes "a tradition in the family says, from gamut d'or, allusive to the gauntlets in their arms; but this is very improbable." 1

Another source note that the name could have been originally Norman as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists N. Gontier, Normandy 1180. This same source notes that "Sir Peter Gontier or Gunter accompanied Bernard de Neumarchd in the conquest of Brecknock 1088, and obtained a fief there." 2

Early Origins of the Gunther family

The surname Gunther was first found in Oxfordshire, where two men bearing the first names Gunter and Gonther were recorded in the Domesday Book at that time. 3 1

"In Berkshire the name has long been known. In the reign of Henry VI., the Gunters were Berkshire gentlemen. Colonel Gunter, who was a zealous adherent of Charles II., belonged to a family living at Racton, Sussex, in the 16th and 17th centuries, and hailing from Gilleston in Wales before that time. The name also occurs in Gloucestershire, and a reference will be found to it under that county.4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Geoffrey le Ganter, Cambridgeshire; and Adam le Ganter, Oxfordshire; Walter Guntard, Norfolk; and John Gunter, Oxfordshire. 5

Early History of the Gunther family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gunther research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1100, 1205, 1221, 1581 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Gunther History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunther Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Gonther, Gunter, Gunther, Guenthner, Guntard and many more.

Early Notables of the Gunther family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edmund Gunter (1581-1626), English mathematician and inventor, namesake of Gunter's chain, a measuring device used for land survey and Gunter's rule/scale which...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gunther Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunther Ranking

In the United States, the name Gunther is the 3,954^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Gunther migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gunther or a variant listed above:

Gunther Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Gunther, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 7

Gunther Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Gunther, who settled in Philadelphia in 1738
Kilian Gunther, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 7
Christian Gunther, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 7
Johan Caspar Gunther, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 7
Heinrich Gunther, who landed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1753 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunther Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henrich Gunther, aged 28, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 7
Joh Joachim Gunther, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 7
Anna Cath Gunther, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 7
Anna Juliana Hinrietta Gunther, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 7
Barbara Gunther, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gunther (post 1700) +

David C. Gunther (1937-2024), American NBA basketball player and head basketball coach at the University of North Dakota from 1970 to 1988
George "Doc" Gunther (b. 1919), American politician, longest-serving state legislator in Connecticut's history
John Gunther (1901-1970), American author
Robert Theodore Gunther (1869-1940), American science historian, founder of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford
Lee Gunther (1938-1998), American film editor
Jyllian Gunther, American film director
Earl O. Gunther, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 32nd District, 1920 8
Diana Gunther, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Oklahoma, 2004 8
Charles Godfrey Gunther (1822-1885), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of New York City, New York, 1864-66; Candidate for New York State Senate 7th District, 1878 8
Blair F. Gunther, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1948 (alternate), 1964; Candidate for Superior Court Judge in Pennsylvania, 1960 8
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gunther family +

Bismarck

Richard Günther (1919-1941), German Matrosenobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Charles Gunther, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 10

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/