Surname Weßeler - Meaning and Origin
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Weßeler: What does the surname Weßeler mean?
The last name Weßeler is an occupational surname derived from the word “Weseler”, which is derived from the Germanic word “wesilare”. This word referred to a specific type of worker, either a trader of horses, a farmer of horses, or an animal herder. Weßeler may also have originated as a regional name that referred to people from the city of Wesel in Germany.
The Weßeler surname generally is most common in Germany, the Netherlands, and areas of America and other countries where German immigrants settled.
The prefix “weß-” is believed to indicate the direction of the movement of the family name from one place to another. For example, those with the name Weßeler may have been from a place such as Wesel, and then later moved to another place and added the prefix”weß-”, indicating that they had moved to a different place during their journey.
The “eler” portion of the name Weßeler is believed to refer to a trade of some kind, with the trade in question being related to horses or horse-rearing. The occupation of horse-rearer was especially important in ancient German society, and many of those with the Weßeler surname were likely involved in some kind of occupation related to horse-rearing.
The Weßeler surname may also indicate some kind of nobility or higher status within their community. This last name is an example of a hereditary surname, so those with the Weßeler surname may have had ancestors of higher status who passed down the this last name to the succeeding generations.
Overall, the Weßeler surname is a very old surname, with deep historical roots related to the occupation of horse-rearing, and potentially to nobility, depending on the Weßeler family in question.
Order DNA origin analysisWeßeler: Where does the name Weßeler come from?
The surname Weßeler is most commonly found in Germany and the Netherlands. In Germany, it is found in the western part of the country, concentrated particularly in the states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. In the Netherlands, the surname is most prominent in the province of Gelderland, particularly its eastern region.
This surname has its origins in the Middle Ages, during the feudal period in Europe. It is derived from the old German word 'wesseler', which referred to a dwelling place next to a castle (a 'Wessel'), and thus it is an occupational surname, indicating that its bearer was probably a vassal or tenant in service of a local lord.
The surname Weßeler has evolved over time, likely from local dialects, resulting in a number of variants, such as Weseler, Wesler, and Weselers, among others. As of 2014, over 600 people in Germany were recorded as bearing this surname.
Given its prevalence in Germany and the Netherlands, it's likely that descendants of the Weßeler family can be found all over the world today, as many of these areas saw large waves of emigration for centuries. Examples might include Canada, the United States, Australia, and many other countries that have received German-speaking immigrants.
Variations of the surname Weßeler
The surname Weßeler is an Anglo-German variant of the same surname. It is usually spelled as Wesseler, Wessels, Wessel or Welsh. It is also spelled as Wessler, Wesslau, Wesslerle or Wesselmann.
The origin of the surname is most likely based in an old German word “wessil” which means “ostrich”. This name was most likely given to someone who had some characteristic that reminded others of an ostrich.
The surname Weßeler is found primarily in Germany, as well as in parts of Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States, and Canada.
In Germany, variant spelling of the surname includes Wesslau, Wesslerle and Wesselmann. In some parts of Germany, the name Weßeler also evolved into Wesselau and Wesslauer.
In the Dutch speaking countries, the name Weßeler has evolved into Wessels and Wessel.
In the eastern part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the surname Weßeler evolved into Wessler and Wesslau.
In the United States, the surname Weßeler has many variant spellings. The most common spellings are Welsh, Wessel and Wessels.
In Canada, the surname Weßeler is spelled as Wessels, Welsh, Wessel or Wessler.
These are some of the variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Weßeler.
Famous people with the name Weßeler
- Johannes Weßeler: German professional footballer
- Barry Weßeler: American soccer player
- Martin Weßeler: German former footballer
- Jochen Weßeler: German political philosopher
- Gebhard Weßeler: German hydrologist and glaciologist
- Johann Gustav Weßeler: German astronomer
- Jan-Christoph Weßeler: German writer and medical practitioner
- Patrick Weßeler: German former footballer
- Lan Hio-Weßeler: Dutch-Indonesian violinist, conductor and music educator
- Wolfgang Weßeler: German painter and medical doctor