Show ContentsTegeler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestral home of the Tegeler family is in the German state of Bavaria. The name Tegeler is an occupational hereditary surname, a type of surname that was taken from a word describing or common to the profession of the original bearer. It is a name for a brick maker. The name Tegeler is derived from the German word "ziegelbrenner," which means "brick maker." Although this name is quite common in Germany, it is most frequently found in the south and south-west of Germany, which are regions that were occupied by the Romans and had a strong house building industry.

Early Origins of the Tegeler family

The surname Tegeler was first found in Bavaria, where they were established in the Middle Ages. They became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some in the Bavarian cities of Noerdlingen, Nuremburg, and Munich, elevating their social status by their great contributions to society. Chronicles first mention Ulreich der Zigler of the city Eger on the border between Bohemia and Bavaria around the year 1340.

Early History of the Tegeler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tegeler research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1843 is included under the topic Early Tegeler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tegeler Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Tegeler include Ziegler, Zieglauer, Zigler, Zeigler and many more.

Early Notables of the Tegeler family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tegeler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Tegeler migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Tegeler or a variant listed above:

Tegeler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Maria Beth Tegeler, aged 16, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1848 [1]


  1. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook