Surname Wagoner - Meaning and Origin

iGENEA DNA Analysis: Unravelling the History and Origins of the Wagoner Surname

Discovering the origin and history of my family name was an enlightening journey that iGENEA made possible with their DNA testing. From the professional roots of my ancestors to their migration routes and my distant relatives, this trial proved to be a fascinating plunge into my ancestral past.

L. Wagoner

Wagoner: What does the surname Wagoner mean?

The last name Wagoner is of English and German origin and is an occupational surname for someone who made or drove wagons. This name is primarily derived from the Middle High German term "wagener", combining "wagen" meaning wagon, and "er" denoting an agent noun. Therefore, Wagoner can trace its roots back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain, thus reflecting the first records of the family living in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from early times. As an occupational surname, it relates to the job carried out by the first person who took the name. Over time, the spelling of the name may have evolved or changed due to factors like migration, translation between languages, or simply errors in record-keeping. The prominence of the name could have also ascended due to a particularly notable bearer.

Wagoner: Where does the name Wagoner come from?

The last name Wagoner is a common surname in the United States of America today. It is most prevalent in the Midwest, especially in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. According to the US Census Bureau, it is the 239th most common surname in the country, and was first recorded in Pennsylvania in 1800. The source of the last name is German, and derived from the word "wagen," meaning wagon. It is thought to have first been used as a decoration given to skilled wagon-makers in the late Middle Ages.

Today, there are around 74,000 people with the last name Wagoner in the US. The highest concentration of this population is in Fluvanna and Goochland counties in Virginia, where there are around 1,400 and 1,200 Wagoners, respectively. Other states with significant populations of Wagoners include Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

In the present day, the last name Wagoner is most common among families who have lived in the Midwest and Appalachia for generations. With its ties to the historical trades of carriage-making and wagon-making, it is a reminder of the hard work and dedication of early settlers to build a better life for themselves and their families in the American states.

Variations of the surname Wagoner

The surname Wagoner is of Germanic origin and is most commonly found in the US, Canada, Belgium, France, and Germany. This surname is anglicized version of the German name Wagner. Variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin as Wagoner include Wagner, Wagoner, Waggoner, Wayaner, Wegener, Weigand, Weigant, and Weygand.

The Wagner surname or its variants can be found in the records of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, England and France as far back as the 13th century. It was originally an occupational name for a wagon maker, carter, or chariot driver. It is derived from the German word "wagan," meaning wagon or cart. The name could have also referred to a soldier in a wagon train.

Variants of the Wagner surname predate the anglicized Wagoner spelling. In the Old German dialect spoken in years past, different dialects of a language can produce spelling variants from one region to another. For example, the surname Wagener can be found in several regions of Germany.

In England, Wagner was often spelled Waghener or Wayhover. In the US, spellings of the Wagner surname range from Wegener to Wegner. Additionally, many German Americans adopted English spelling variations, like Wagoner, Waggoner, Waggonor, Wagonar and Wagonar to better fit into their new communities.

The Wagoner surname still thrives today around the world. In the United States alone today, wagoner is the 11,257th most common surname, and is most highly concentrated in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, and southern Texas.

Famous people with the name Wagoner

• Porter Wagoner: an American country singer, songwriter, and musician who was a popular artist in the 1950s and 1960s.
• Melissa Wagoner: an American film and television actress.
• Scotty Wagoner: a six-time All-Star third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox from 1950 to 1965.
• Ed Wagoner: an American politician who served in the Ohio Senate from 1988 to 2004.
• William B. Wagoner: an American missionary to the Native Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
• K. C. Wagoner: a former professional boxer who won the Welterweight and Light Middleweight Championships of the World in the early 1900s.
• Bruce Wagoner: an American politician and a Republican. He served as Alaska Senator from 1987 to 2001.
• Don Wagoner: an American former strength and conditioning coach for the NCAA Division I and and NFL Carolina Panthers.
• Lorin Wagoner: an American Major League Baseball player who played outfielder in the 1940s and 1950s.
• Diane Wagoner: an American children's book author, politician, and publisher.

Other surnames

Wagonner