Wellen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers is the ancient German region of Westphalia. Westphalia, the home of the name Wellen. When hereditary surnames were adopted in this region, after the 12th century, names that were derived from localities were quite common. These "local" surnames originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. When coupled with the German preposition von, which means from or of, local names can indicate that the initial bearer of the name was an aristocrat. However, in modern times, the use of the preposition has often long since been dropped from use. The Wellen family originally lived by or near a spring. The name Wellen is derived from the Low German word welle, which means spring or well. The er is a common suffix for German names. There are numerous places in the German states that were named Well, Welling,Waelling, and Wellingen or that contain these root words. For example, there are places named Wellingshofen and Wellinghusen in Holstein and there is a place called Wellingbuettel in Hamburg.

Early Origins of the Wellen family

The surname Wellen was first found in the Rhineland and Westphalia, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation. Chronicles first mention Nicolaus Weller of Liegnitz in Silesia in 1387, Heinrich Weller of Basel, Switzerland in the 13th century, and Heyne von Wellen of Haldesleben in the 14th century. Welle is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony.

Early History of the Wellen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wellen research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1705, 1711, 1774 and 1811 are included under the topic Early Wellen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wellen 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 Wellen include Well, Weller (Westphalia), Welle (Westphalia), Wellers, Wellner and many more.

Early Notables of the Wellen family

Notables of the period with the name Wellen were Johann Jacob Well, who was ennobled in 1774 in reward for his outstanding services as a pharmacist and...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wellen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wellen migration to the United States +

Many Germans emigrated across the Atlantic to seek better lives in North America. This great migration began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century. Resettlement was particularly attractive to those from Westphalia as a means of escape from poverty and religious persecution. For many Westphalian farmers, the chance to own one's own land was also a major incentive. The process of the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlements centered around Ontario and the Prairie provinces. Among them:

Wellen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elisa Ann Wellen, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1733 1

Wellen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gerard Hendriks Wellen, aged 9, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1846 1
Han Gerard Wellen, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1846 1
Hermanus Wellen, aged 5, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1846 1
Anna Maria Wellen, aged 11, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1846 1

Citations +

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)