Wetzel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Early Origins of the Wetzel family

The surname Wetzel was first found in Silesia and Bohemia, where the name could be considered to make a major contribution to the feudal society that shaped the early development of Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses, playing important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, as each group strove for power and status in an unstable territorial profile. Chronicles first mention the Lord Weczel von Schellendorf from Liegnitz in Silesia around 1424, and Hans Weczold of Freiberg in Saxony near the border with Bohemia in 1447.

Early History of the Wetzel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wetzel research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1662 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Wetzel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wetzel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wetzel, Wetzlaw (Silesia), Weczel (Silesia, Bohemia), Wetzold, Weczold, Wetzler, Wetzal, Wetzell, Wetzlar, Wetz and many more.

Early Notables of the Wetzel family

Notables of the period with the surname Wetzel were

Johann Wetzel, who was a royal advisor and the Postmeister of Frankfurt am Main

Wetzel Ranking

In the United States, the name Wetzel is the 2,217^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1

Wetzel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wetzel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Conrad Wetzel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1720 2
Johan Jacob Wetzel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
Lawrence Wetzel, who arrived in South Carolina in 1747 2
Johann Adam Wetzel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 2
Hans Georg Wetzel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wetzel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Friedrich Moritz Wetzel, who landed in New York, NY in 1830 2
Heinrich Wetzel, who landed in America in 1832 2
Dorothea Karoline Wetzel, aged 33, who landed in America in 1839 2
Charles Wetzel, aged 33, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 2
Wilhelm Wetzel, who arrived in Texas in 1844 aboard the ship "Herschel" 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wetzel migration to Australia +

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

Wetzel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Carl Wetzel, aged 44, a mason, who arrived in South Australia in 1847 aboard the ship "Hermann von Beckerath" 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Wetzel (post 1700) +

Ray Wetzel (1924-1951), American jazz trumpeter
Donald C. Wetzel, American engineer, best known for holding the American patent to the automatic teller machine, recipient of the IEEE Simon Ramo Medal (2006)
Robert Lewis "Sam" Wetzel (b. 1930), United States Army General, General Haig's Chief of Staff in Belgium (1978-1979), Deputy Commander in Chief of U.S. Forces in Europe (1983)
Lewis Wetzel (1763-1808), American legendary frontiersman and Indian fighter; Zane Grey wrote about him in his books Spirit of the Border, Betty Zane, and The Last Trail
Rick Wetzel, American entrepreneur who co-founded Wetzel's Pretzels, a California-based chain of fast-food restaurants in 1994, currently having over 175 locations
Courtney Wetzel (b. 1989), American soccer midfielder from Puyallup, Washington
Damon "Buzz" Wetzel (1910-1985), American football fullback for the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Pirates who played in 1935, the first head coach of the Cleveland Rams
Private First Class Walter C Wetzel, American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945
Jacob "Jake" Wetzel (b. 1976), Canadian six-time gold medalist rower who has represented both Canada and the United States at the World Championships and the Olympics
John Francis Wetzel (b. 1944), American former professional basketball player and coach
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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 Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HERMANN VON BECKERATH 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847HermanVonBeckerath.htm