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Vetter History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Vetter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Medieval Austria is the ancient homeland of the Vetter family. Austria, which was originally home to a Celtic people, was conquered by the Roman Empire in about 15 BC. Following the fall of Rome, Austria was repeatedly invaded by barbarian tribes, such as the Vandals, Visigoths, and Huns, who swept in from the east. During the 5th and 6th centuries, the Alemanni, Avars and Slavs settled Austria. The Avars were defeated in 785 by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne, who set up the East Mark, which later became known as the Österreich. Austria was ruled by the Babenburger dynasty until 1278, when they were succeeded by the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria until the 20th century.

Early Origins of the Vetter family

The surname Vetter was first found in Bavaria, where the name, historically associated with the landed aristocracy, could be considered to have played a major role in the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name was derived from the German word for "cousin," from the German word denoting "father's brother; one related to another, later, a male cousin." 1

The main branch of the family left Bavaria for Styria in Austria in 1587 and later moved into Silesia where they became one of the most respected families. The ancestral seat was the castle and estates of Feistritz, near the city Cilley, two miles from Graz in Styria. The family also acquired the castle and manor Miestitz near Oppeln in Silesia.

Early History of the Vetter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vetter research. Another 249 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1622, 1653, 1666, 1734 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Vetter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vetter 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 Vetter include Vetter, Voetter (Bavaria), Votter (Bavaria), Vetters, Vetterle, Voetterl, Vetterling, Vetterlein, Vetterley, Vetterline, Vedder (northern Germany), Vett, Veth, Vether, Fett, Fetter, Fetters, Fetterle and many more.

Early Notables of the Vetter family

Prominent among members of the name Vetter in this period include

the knight Eusebius Vetter, who so distinguished himself at the Battle of the White Mountain during the uprising of Bohemia
Conrad Vetter (1547-1622), German Jesuit preacher and polemical writer

Vetter Ranking

In the United States, the name Vetter is the 3,564^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Vetter is ranked the 4,696^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3

Vetter migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Vetter or a variant listed above:

Vetter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Georg Vetter, who settled in Philadelphia in 1729
David Vetter, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1731
David Vetter, aged 21, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 4
Lucks Vetter, aged 55, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 4
Margerita Vetter, aged 18, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vetter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joh Martin Vetter, who landed in America in 1807 4
Lucas Vetter and his family, Margerita Vetter, and Sophia Vetter
Philipp Vetter, who landed in America in 1832 4
Louis Vetter, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 4
Joh Victor Vetter, who landed in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Talisman" 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vetter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vetter Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Lucas Vetter U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Vetter (post 1700) +

Craig Vetter (b. 1942), American entrepreneur and motorcycle designer, inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999
Cyril Vetter, American songwriter, best known for the popular song "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)" co-written with Don Smith
Fred William Vetter Jr. (1921-2002), Brigadier General in the United States Air Force
Jessica "Jessie" Vetter (b. 1985), American member of the United States women's national ice hockey team, recipient of four gold medals and three silver medals
William Paul Vetter, American politician, Mayor of Coronado, California, 1968-70 6
V. Stephen Vetter, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 8th District, 1988 6
Erwin F. Vetter, American Republican politician, Chair of St. Louis County Republican Party, 1949 6
Earl R. Vetter, American Republican politician, Chair of Warren County Republican Party, 1939-42 6
Ann Vetter, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1948 (alternate), 1952 (alternate), 1956 6
Horst Vetter (1927-2022), German politician, member of the Free Democratic Party, he served in the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin of 1971 to 1986
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Vetter family +

Bismarck

Heinz Vetter (1921-1941), 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 7

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . 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