Wegner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
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The German territory of Silesia is the noble birthplace of the surname Wegner. 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 Wegner family

The surname Wegner 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 Wegner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wegner 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 Wegner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wegner Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Wegner family

Notables of the period with the surname Wegner were 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)...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wegner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wegner Ranking

In the United States, the name Wegner is the 5,518^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Wegner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wegner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Wegner, who landed in America in 1731 3
Sebastian Wegner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
Kunrath Wegner, who landed in Massachusetts in 1753 3
Jacob Wegner, who landed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1758 3
Henrich Wegner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1764 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wegner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Wegner, who arrived in Texas in 1840-1850 3
Dorothea Wegner, who landed in America in 1843 3
Friedrich Wegner, aged 25, who arrived in America in 1843 3
Luise Wegner, aged 31, who landed in America in 1843 3
Marie Hopfner Wegner, aged 43, who arrived in America in 1843 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wegner (post 1700) +

Peter Wegner (b. 1963), American artist
Peter Wegner (b. 1932), American computer scientist, early object-oriented programming (OOP) pioneer
Oscar Wegner (b. 1939), American tennis coach
Josef William Wegner (b. 1967), American Egyptologist and Professor at the University of Pennsylvania
Daniel Wegner (1948-2013), Canadian-born, American experimental psychologist, professor of psychology at Harvard University
Otto A. Wegner, American politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Brown County 2nd District, 1938 4
Herman B. Wegner (b. 1891), American politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Milwaukee County 16th District, 1933-44 4
Earl Edward Wegner, American politician, Mayor of Pullman, Washington, 1927-30 4
Conrad F. Wegner, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Darien, 1932 4
Kurt Wegner (1908-1985), German artist
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wegner family +

Bismarck

Paul Wegner (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5

Citations +

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)
"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 2015, October 14) . 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