Wehner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The German territory of Silesia is the noble birthplace of the surname Wehner. 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 Wehner family

The surname Wehner 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 Wehner family

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

Wehner Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Wehner family

Notables of the period with the surname Wehner 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 Wehner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wehner Ranking

In the United States, the name Wehner is the 14,714^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Wehner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wehner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joh Gottlieb Wehner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1746 3

Wehner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

August Wehner, who arrived in New York, NY in 1851 3
John Wehner, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 3
Fried richa Wehner, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1858 3
Clemens Wehner, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1869 3
Gustav Wehner, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wehner Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Carl Wehner, aged 32, who arrived in America, in 1901
August Wehner, aged 26, who arrived in America from Kargenburg, Germany, in 1910
Andraas Wehner, aged 29, who arrived in America from Premish, Germany, in 1912
Andreas Wehner, aged 22, who arrived in America from Wuerzburg, Germany, in 1923
Anna Katharina Wehner, aged 39, who arrived in America from Koln, Mulheim, Germany, in 1923
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wehner (post 1700) +

Joseph Frank "Fritz" Wehner (1895-1918), American two-time Distinguished Service Cross awarded fighter pilot and wingman to the fighter ace Frank Luke
John Paul Wehner (b. 1967), American former Major League Baseball Utility player, current broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Josef Magnus Wehner (1891-1973), German writer and playwright
Stephanie Wehner, German physicist and computer scientist at the Centre for Quantum Technologies
Kay Wehner (b. 1971), German former football goalkeeper who played from 1990 to 2007
Herbert Richard Wehner (1906-1990), German politician, Federal Minister of Intra-German Relations (1966-1969)
Alejandro Wehner, Argentine film director in the 1950s

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)