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Weller History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Weller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Weller is a local name from the German region of Westphalia. Local names and other types of hereditary surnames began to be used in Germany after the 12th century. They were derived from the name of the place where the original bearer of the name lived. Sometimes local names bear the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from". This was originally an indication of land-ownership, and was sometimes a mark of aristocracy. The family originally lived by or near a spring. The name Weller 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 Weller family

The surname Weller 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 Weller family

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

Weller Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Weller include Well, Weller (Westphalia), Welle (Westphalia), Wellers, Wellner and many more.

Early Notables of the Weller family

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

Weller Ranking

In the United States, the name Weller is the 2,133^rd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1

Weller migration to the United States +

After 1650, thousands of German settlers came to North America to escape the religious persecution and poverty that wracked Europe and to make the most of the opportunity to own their own land in a new country. They settled across the United States in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, and in Canada in Ontario and on the fertile plains of the prairie provinces. Among them:

Weller Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Weller, who settled in New England in 1679
Henry Weller, who settled in America in 1679
Margrett Weller, aged 22, who arrived in Maryland in 1684 2

Weller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hieronymus Weller, who landed in New York, NY in 1709 2
Kasper Weller, who landed in New York in 1709 2
Hieronymus Weller, his wife Anna Juliana and their two children, who settled in New York in 1709
Hans Martin Weller, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1727
Henrich Weller, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1727 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Humphry Weller, on record as a "British Alien" in New York in 1812
Humphry Weller, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Enoch Weller, who arrived in America in 1827 2
Thomas Weller, who landed in New York in 1831 2
Jonas Weller, who arrived in America in 1835 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weller migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Weller Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Weller, who arrived in Canada in 1840

Weller migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Weller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Weller, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 3
George Weller, who landed in Sydney, Australia in 1832
Mr. Henry Weller, English convict who was convicted in Chichester, West Sussex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
E Weller, who landed in Sydney, Australia in 1839
G Weller, who landed in Sydney, Australia in 1839
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weller migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Weller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Ellen Weller, (b. 1842), aged 20, English domestic servant, from Kent travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 5
Miss Charlotte Weller, (b. 1828), aged 36, British domestic servant travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 6
Mr. John Weller, (b. 1853), aged 20, English carpenter from Sussex travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Surat" going to Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand in 1873, the ship sunk at the Catlins River all the passengers were transported to Dunedin via various rescure vessels 5
Alfred W. Weller, aged 18, a baker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
Charles Weller, aged 21, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Weller (post 1700) +

Worth Hamilton Weller (1913-1931), American herpetologist who discovered Weller's Salamander
Mary Louise Weller (b. 1978), American actress, best known for her role in the 1978 film Animal House
Peter Weller (b. 1947), American film actor, and Academy Award nominated director, best known for his leading role in the first two RoboCop films
George Anthony Weller (1907-2002), American journalist, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 1943
Gerald C Weller (b. 1957), American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1995-)
Thomas Huckle Weller (b. 1915), American microbiologist, shared 1954 Nobel Prize for work on the cultivation of the polio virus
John Weller (1812-1875), American politician, Governor of California (1858-60)
Caroline S. Weller, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 20th District, 1966 7
Andrew S. Weller, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Ulster County 3rd District, 1865-66 7
A. N. Weller, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1888 7
... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Weller family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Royce Henry Weller (1913-1941), Australian Acting Shipwright 4th Class from Devonport, Tasmania, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 8

HMS Royal Oak

Henry Auldred Weller (1914-1939), British Stoker 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 9

RMS Titanic

Mr. William Clifford Weller, aged 30, English Able Seaman from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 7 10

USS Arizona

Mr. Oree C. Weller, American Seaman Second Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 11
Mr. Ludwig Fredrick Weller, American Chief Storekeeper Permanent from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 11

Citations +

"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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html