Widman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Widman

What does the name Widman mean?

The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Widman. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname found in the Rhineland was the local name, a name taken on from a place-name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of a village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Widman was given to someone who 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 Widman family

The surname Widman 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 Widman family

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

Widman Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Widman include Widmann, Widman, Widemann, Wideman, Witmann, Witman, Wittmann, Wittman, Whitman and many more.

Early Notables of the Widman family

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

Widman Ranking

the United States, the name Widman is the 12,919^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Widman migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Widman, or one of its variants above:

Widman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hendrick Widman, aged 38, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 2
Michael Widman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 2
Johan Fried Widman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 2
John Widman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 2
Johann Friedrich Widman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1749
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Widman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Rudolph Widman, who landed in Arkansas in 1896 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Widman (post 1700) +

John Widman, American luthier from Asheville, North Carolina
Charles Henry Widman (1879-1944), American football player from Rochester, New York; he later became vice president of his father's J. C. Widman & Co. in Detroit which produced early automobile coachworks
Allan Widman (b. 1964), Swedish politician, Member of the Riksdag since 2002

Sources +

"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)