Show ContentsWyler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Wyler is a local surname; it is derived from the Latin word vilare, which means farmstead. This makes Wyler a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other category of surnames; they were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Wyler family

The surname Wyler was first found in Upper Swabia, where the name came from aristocratic origins, and gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. The name is derived from the Latin form "vilare" meaning farmstead. It was taken on by an ancient baronial dynasty, whose founding member appears as early as 813. This man was Hermann von Weiler, whom chronicles mention as being present at the founding of the monastery of St. George in the Black Forest. This line became known as Weiler zu Weiler (a city near Heilbronn,) and many members held the position of Priori of the cloister Weiler in Blauthale which the family founded in the 11th century. Burkhard Weiler was the Abbot of Sinsheim in 1468, Wolf von Weiler (1508-1585) accompanied Duke Christoph von Wuerttemberg on a campaign in France, and Dietrich von Weiler (1542-1602,) the chief steward and private tutor to the Duke of Wuerttemberg, united all the various estates of numerous branches into his own hands. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Wyler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wyler research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1776, 1790, 1804, 1807, 1812 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Wyler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wyler Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Weiler, Weiller, Weilert, Wyler and others.

Early Notables of the Wyler family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wyler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Wyler migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wyler Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Wyler, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 [1]
Wyler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Fred Wyler, aged 29, who landed in America, in 1897
  • Albert Wyler, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States from Zurich, in 1898
Wyler Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Elsa Wyler, aged 3, who settled in America from Obereindingen, Switzerland, in 1905
  • Guslav Wyler, aged 30, who immigrated to America from Basel, Switzerland, in 1907
  • B. F. Wyler, aged 40, who immigrated to America, in 1908
  • Berta Wyler, aged 21, who landed in America from Schweig, Switzerland, in 1909
  • Emma Wyler, aged 20, who landed in America from Bern, Switzerland, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wyler (post 1700) +

  • Allen Wyler, American neurosurgeon and author
  • William "Willy" Wyler (1902-1981), Swiss-born, renowned multiple Academy Award-winning motion picture director best remembered for "Jezebel" (1938), and "Little Foxes" (1941)
  • Gretchen Wyler (1932-2007), born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke, American actress and founder of the Genesis Awards for animal protection
  • Robert Wyler (1900-1971), American film producer
  • Arthur A. Wyler, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 15th District, 1936, 1940 [2]
  • Ruth Wyler Messinger (b. 1940), American politician, 24th Borough President of Manhattan (1990-1997), Democratic Nominee for Mayor of New York in 1997


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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