Surname Wiecher - Meaning and Origin

Wiecher: What does the surname Wiecher mean?

The last name Wiecher is of German origin and is derived from the Old German root words “wiga” and “hari”. These root words meant noble and warrior respectively. The name is derived from a family or clan that was associated with a particular type of warfare or military service. It is a surname which is commonly found throughout Germany.

The Wiecher surname typically referred to someone who was part of a military or noble force. People with this surname may have come from a distinguished family with extensive land holdings, were high-ranking politicians or commanders in the military or clergy, or were skilled artisans.

Today, those with the last name Wiecher may be found in various parts of the world. In America, the Wiecher surname is often encountered in states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, California, and Texas.

The last name Wiecher carries a proud tradition and speaks to the history of the family, those with this surname can feel a true connection to their past.

Wiecher: Where does the name Wiecher come from?

The last name Wiecher is a German surname which is believed to be seeped in ancient Bavarian-Austrian culture. It is most commonly found in Austria as it was previously part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is believed that the name Wiecher derives from the Middle High German language which was spoken in the Middle Ages in the German-speaking regions of today’s Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

In Austria, the name Wiecher is primarily found in the Vienna region and is predominantly associated with white-collar professions such as business, finance, and the legal professions. Outside of Austria, it is mainly found in Germany, the United States, and Austria. It is also present in some parts of Eastern Europe, especially in Romania and Hungary, and it is also found among some Jewish communities in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and the United States.

The Wiecher family is also widely dispersed throughout the world, with possibility of descendants spread out among Australia, Canada, Spain, Panama, Peru, and the United States, just to name a few. An impressive amount of Wiechers were found in the United Kingdom in the 1891 census, where the most number of surnames indicated was in the West Midlands with 915 Wiechers, followed by London with 720, and then Derbyshire with 586.

Overall, the surname Wiecher is a Germanic surname that is mainly spread throughout Central Europe, especially in Austria and Germany. While small numbers are found throughout Eastern Europe, there is a greater concentration of Wiecher families in the US, UK, and other countries where German immigrants have settled. As more and more Europeans migrate across the world, it is certain that the surname Wiecher will only continue to become increasingly common.

Variations of the surname Wiecher

The surname Wiecher is a German patronymic name derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Wigher. It can be spelt in a number of ways such as Weicher, Weichert, Wiechert, Weichhart, Weichherdt, and Wiecherhöfer and can also take the form of hyphenated surnames, such as Wiecher-Dammann.

The variants of the Wiecher surname originate with the ancient German 'Wigher', which ultimately derives from the holy name 'Viggo' or 'Viktor'. This was a popular personal name in medieval Germany and is the Scandinavian equivalent of 'Victor'. This name comes from the Latin Victor, which means 'conqueror' or 'triumphant'.

The Wiecher variant is most common in the countries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, as well as some parts of the Netherlands and Poland. This form of the surname is most prolific in the regions of Bavaria, Franconia, Baden, and Silesia.

The early Wiecher variant of the name has a long association with royalty. This form of the name was used in the 10th century in old Bavarian chronicles to refer to aristocratic families in the Franconian district of Aschaffenburg. It is also found in the Bach book (bachbook) which lists members of the Wiecher family of Thuringia who achieved high social status in the 16th and 17th centuries, and were part of the Genevan Reformers in the 17th Century.

This surname also has seen bearers of high rank in society during the 18th and 19th centuries. One such example is the musicologist and court chamber musician, Johann Gottlieb Wiechers (1783-1845). His descendants, the family of Wiecher-Dammann, were also knighted in the 19th century.

The alternate spellings and hyphenated surnames derived from Wiecher are associated with even older German influences. For example, the Weicher name stems from old Bavarian and Swabian dialects in which 'w' was often used to signify a 'v' and 'V' was used to signify a 'w'. Weicher was also used to refer to people who made woven fabrics in the 14th and 15th century, and Weichert was an orthographic variant of 'Weicher'. Thus, it is clear that the Wiecher surname is both extended and ancient, with numerous possible spellings associated with its use.

Famous people with the name Wiecher

• Willi Wiechers: German slalom canoer who competed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• Annalena Wiechers: German musical lyric soprano.
• Boele Wiechers: Dutch saxophonist, composer, teacher and author.
• Simon Wiechers: German international footballer who played as a midfielder.
• Kees Wiechers: Dutch business man who specializes in agricultural economics and is a significant innovator in the field of agriculture.
• Winnie-Lou Wiechers: American film and television actress whose roles have been usually in the role of a grandmother.
• Hans Wiechers: German philosopher who has written about several topics such as Post-Modernism, philosophy of religion, aesthetics and social philosophy.
• Christian Wiechers: Rugby player who plays for the Heidelberg RK, a German rugby union club.
• Sigrid Wiechers: German artist who works with paper, canvas, watercolor, gouache, oil and acrylic painting.
• Iris Wiechers: Dutch fashion designer who specializes in dressmaking and has been showcased in many fashion shows around The Netherlands.

Other surnames

WiechWiechardWiechardtWiechartzWiecheringWiechernWiechersWiechertWiechingWiechmann