Surname Weigerdt - Meaning and Origin

Weigerdt: What does the surname Weigerdt mean?

The surname Weigerdt is of German origin. It is an uncommon name, found mostly in Germany and Austria. It is derived from the Old High German name Wigerd, a contracted form of the personal name Wigbert. Wigbert derived from the elements wig, meaning battle or war, and beraht, meaning bright or famous. The name roughly translates to “bright in battle” or “famous warrior” and may have been used for a person of great dominion or military prowess in ancient times.

Weigerdt is a patronymic surname, meaning that it derived from the first name of the bearer’s father or some other ancestor. Patronymic surnames were the most common type of surname in medieval Europe and were used to distinguish families using a given name.

Despite its martial origins, the Weigerdt surname is now found primarily as an occupational surname. This is because the name was often used to identify families of cooperatives, miners, or smiths as these professions often offered a certain degree of martial protection or dominion.

The variants of the Weigerdt surname include Wiederkehr, Wiederkehrin, Wiegerdt, Wigard, Wijgerdt, and Wierikhuijsen. The variants are a reflection of the various dialects spoken in different regions of Germany and Austria. Other variations of the surname are also found around the world, especially in the United States, as a result of immigration during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Weigerdt: Where does the name Weigerdt come from?

The last name Weigerdt is not a particularly common name today, with only a few occurrences nationwide. It originated in Germany, most commonly in the area of Baden-Württemberg. It has been strongly associated with this region since its inception. The surname Weigerdt is likely derived from the German words "Weger", meaning guardian or warder, and "dt", a shortening of the suffix "doth".

The earliest known record of the surname is a document from 1475, referencing a Mathias Weigerdt from the region of Stuttgart. In 1691, Constantine Weigerdt appears in church records from the area of Eppingen. In a book of genealogical records from 1750, there is an entry for Johann Weigerdt of Magstadt.

Beyond Germany, the surname does not appear to have spread to a large degree. According to records available online, there are no Weigerdts living in Austria, and fewer than 100 throughout the United States. In England, there are fewer than 20 households of people who bear the name. In the United States, the surname has not yet been fully recognized by the US Census Bureau, and is considered a fairly rare name. It does not appear on any of their available cohorts.

Overall, the surname Weigerdt is not as common as other German or other European surnames. Its concentration in Baden-Württemberg is likely to remain so, with little to no spread of the name elsewhere in the world.

Variations of the surname Weigerdt

The surname Weigerdt has a number of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Some of the most common variations include Waegerdt, Wegerdt, Wiegerdt, Weigardt, Waegerd, Wagert, Weigard, Wieghardt, Weigert, and Wiegerd.

The Germanic spelling for this surname is Weigerdt, and it is derived from the given name Weigard and denotes descendence from the ancestor Weigard. In Germany, this surname came to be associated with people living in the area of the Rhine River Valley, and it is considered to have been a prominent surname in the region.

In Poland, people with this surname would be called Weigard, while in the Netherlands, they are often referred to as Waegerdt, Wiegerdt, or Weigert. The spelling Weigardt was derived from the Low German version of the word Weigerdt, and is commonly seen in the Netherlands and Germany.

In the United States, several spellings such as Waegerd, Wagert, Weigardt and Weigard became popular. In France, immigrants from the Rhine Valley region who carried this surname would usually spell it Wieghardt or Wieghard.

Although the origin of this surname is Germanic, variations can be seen in countries around the world. In total, there are estimates of over 40 different spellings for Weigerdt, depending on the language, culture, and geographical location that the surname originates from.

Famous people with the name Weigerdt

• Dave Weigert: Dave Weigert is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter who has been a part of the music industry since the early 90s. He has been involved in many influential records, and is best known for producing albums such as No Doubt’s Rock Steady and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ By the Way.
• Andrew Weigert: Andrew Weigert is an American entrepreneur who is most well-known for founding the online photo printing company, MyPublisher. He is also the president of Weigert Ventures which focuses on investing in early stage technology startups.
• George Weigert: George Weigert was an American physicist who is best known for developing the radiometer, an instrument that measures the intensity of radiation. He was also the first person to recognize the existence of cosmic rays.
• William Weigert: William Weigert was an American businessman who founded the Weigert Brothers and Company, a manufacturing business that produced machinery and supplies for papermaking.
• Fritz Weigert: Fritz Weigert was a German botanist and estuarine ecologist who studied and wrote extensively about the ecology and biology of intertidal areas. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of estuarine ecology.

Other surnames

Weigert