Show ContentsWagenaar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Wagenaar Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Wagenaar

What does the name Wagenaar mean?

The German territory of Silesia is the noble birthplace of the surname Wagenaar. The name is derived from the Middle High German term "wagener," meaning "one who drives or makes wagons," and would likely have been initially borne by a wheelwright or carriage maker. 1

Early Origins of the Wagenaar family

The surname Wagenaar was first found in Liegnitz, where Nitsche wayner (wagener) was recorded in 1372. 1

In medieval times the feudal lord often owned several manors and it was necessary to transport produce from one place to another by two-wheeled, horse-drawn carts. The "wagener" would have been a member of the lord's household responsible for this carriage of goods. References to this name in written records occur as early as the thirteenth century when the "Wurttembergisches Urkundenbuch" makes mention of one Bertoldus dictus Wagenare residing in Eriskirch at that time. Later, the "Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch" notes two brothers, Henricus and Berchtoldus, who were styled Wagenere, natives of Freiburg.

The famed composer and conductor Richard Wagner (1813-1883), best known for his four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) hailed from Leipzig, Upper Saxon.

Early History of the Wagenaar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wagenaar research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1656, 1660, 1717, 1742, 1745, 1747, 1762, 1779, 1812, 1813, 1845, 1869, 1883 and 1930 are included under the topic Early Wagenaar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wagenaar Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wagner, Wegner, Wagoner, Wagener, Waganer, Waggener and many more.

Early Notables of the Wagenaar family

Gabriel Wagner (c.1660-c.1717), a radical German philosopher and materialist who wrote under the nom-de-plume Realis de Vienna; Heinrich Leopold Wagner (1747-1779), who was a German dramatist of the Storm and Stress period. The most famous Wagner is unquestionably Richard Wagner (1813-1883), who, as a composer, conductor, poet, and author, was...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wagenaar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wagenaar Ranking

Netherlands, the name Wagenaar is the 262nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,345 people with that name. 2

Wagenaar migration to the United States +



Wagenaar Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jacob Aertsen Wagenaar, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1642 3
Wagenaar Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Hendrik Wagenaar, who landed in New York in 1709 3
  • Andries Wagenaar, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
  • Niklaas Wagenaar, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
  • Johan Henrich Wagenaar, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752-1753 3
  • Hendrick Wagenaar, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752-1753 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wagenaar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Ulrich Wagenaar, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 3
  • O M Wagenaar, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1853 3
  • Depuke Wagenaar, aged 35, Dutch settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "John Rutledge" in 1854 4
  • Toon Wagenaar, aged 26, who arrived in New York, NY in 1866 3
  • Dievertje Wagenaar, who landed in New York, NY in 1866 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wagenaar (post 1700) +

  • Bernard Wagenaar (1894-1971), Dutch-born American composer, pupil of Johan Wagenaar
  • Alexander C. Wagenaar (b. 1955), American epidemiologist and professor of health outcomes and policy at the University of Florida College of Medicine
  • Jan Wagenaar (1937-2022), Dutch harness racing driver
  • Gerben Wagenaar (1912-1993), Dutch Communist Party politician
  • Diderik Wagenaar (b. 1946), Dutch composer and musical theorist, second cousin of Johan Wagenaar
  • Aad Wagenaar (b. 1940), Dutch Reformed Protestant politician for the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF)
  • Johan Wagenaar (1862-1941), Dutch composer and organist
  • Willem Albert Wagenaar (1941-2011), Dutch psychologist noted for his work on the reliability of memory
  • René Wijnand Wagenaar (1954-2007), Dutch academic, and Professor of Information and Communication Technology Delft University of Technology
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  3. 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)
  4. Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result

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