Wideman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The name Wideman comes from the Rhineland, an ancient region of Germany. In pre-medieval times, the Germans used only one name, but later they were forced by a growing population to adopt hereditary surnames, so as to remain distinct from others using the same personal (first) name. Local names derived from place names, were often chosen. They originally indicated land ownership, and frequently carried the prefix von, meaning "of" or "from", which is often taken as an indication of aristocratic lineage. Wideman was a name for some one lived in the area that was referred to as widem which was originally derived from the German word denoting church property. Thus the estates or farms lived in by the original bearers of the surname were owned by the church. In early times the Church was the largest landowner in Europe. Many farmers and peasants alike lived on land that was considered church property.

Early Origins of the Wideman family

The surname Wideman was first found in the Palatinate in the Rhineland valley, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. They branched into many houses, and many leaders sought their support in their search for power.

Early History of the Wideman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wideman research. Another 316 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1638, 1639, 1642, 1646, 1667, 1675, 1687, 1712, 1719, 1724, 1730 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Wideman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wideman 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 Wideman include Widmann, Widman, Widemann, Wideman, Witmann, Witman, Wittmann, Wittman, Whitman and many more.

Early Notables of the Wideman family

Notables with the name Wideman during this period were

Christoph Widmann (Widemann), of the most prominent Carinthian line of the family, who was made a Cardinal in Rome in 1687

Wideman Ranking

In the United States, the name Wideman is the 9,270^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Wideman migration to the United States +

Between the 17th and 20th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Europeans came to North America, and many Rhinelanders were among them. They had many various reasons for making the choice: to escape poverty and persecution, for adventure, and for the opportunity to own their own land. Ellis Island, one of the main American immigration centers, saw many settlers as they moved on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, they found homes in Ontario, and on the great plains of the Midwestern provinces. The Wideman were among of the early German families that came to North America:

Wideman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Caspar Wideman and Christopher Wideman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1739
Casper Wideman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 2
Henderick Wideman, aged 20, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 2
Christ Wilhelm Wideman, who landed in Massachusetts in 1751 2
Christian Wideman, who arrived in New England in 1751 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wideman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wideman Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Philip Wideman, who arrived in Canada in 1836

Contemporary Notables of the name Wideman (post 1700) +

John Edgar Wideman (b. 1941), American writer, professor, and Rhodes Scholar
Melissa Wideman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 2004 3
Lucy J. Wideman, American politician, Delegate to Alabama convention to ratify 21st amendment from Jefferson County, 1933 3
E. C. Wideman Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1964 3
Lydia Wideman (1920-2019), Finish gold medalist cross-country skier at the 1952 Winter Olympics

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html