The Wetterman Family Origins

The Wetterman surname is Germanic in origin.  It was originally spelled Wettermann, but the double n was dropped in America.  It was probably a nickname originally.  That is, it was "based on a personal or physical characteristic of the original bearer."  The Wettermann surname seems to come from the old Germanic word "Wetter," which means a gambler, and this name was given to people who gambled, or who were considered game masters. The suffix "mann" is a German term of endearment which is commonly found in many surnames of Germanic origin.

According to the Historical Research Center, "[N]icknames were very common in medieval times, they were terms of affection and endearment (even though they did not always appear complimentary) and they were also functional so that bearers of the same name could be easily distinguished."

Wayne Wetterman Sr. did a lot of research on the Wettermann's of Europe and the following is extracted from his findings:

The Wetterman name is found spelled two ways- with a single N and with a double N. The Wetterman name with a single N is first seen in the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.  According to LDS records, the earliest reference to the single N Wetterman name in Sweden was that of Elisabeth Wetterman who was born in 1655 in Uddevalla, Goteborg Och Hohus.  The last reference from the LDS source in Sweden was the marriage of Brigitta Catarina Wetterman in 1852.  There are also references from Finland, France, and Holland.  Wayne believes that these people immigrated from the North Eastern part of modern Germany around 1550 to 1600 and dropped the "German" double N ending.

The earliest mention of the double N Wettermann name that Wayne has found comes from the German Magazine Stern (Star) article in the July 1980 issue.  The article discusses the life and times of Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Ivan IV 1530-1584).  It describes his plundering and pillaging of cities and towns from Russia to Germany in the mid 1500s.  As a result of the destruction in Moscow caused by this armies, he captured German craftsmen (carpenters, masons, construction workers, etc.) from Prussia and Thuringen (two areas located in modern eastern Germany).  Those who rebelled against him were immediately beheaded.  During the reconstruction of Moscow, a Lutheran church was built.  In need of a religious leader, Ivan "persuaded" Pastor Wettermann of Thuringen to go to Moscow to head the Lutheran church in that city.  The article goes on to say that Ivan liked Pastor Wettermann so well, that he had a religious library built in his honor and presented that library to Pastor Wettermann.  Wayne's guess is that this happened around 1560 to 1570.

For many years, the Germany Wettermanns centered around the state of Brandenburg, Prussia with references to some 15 or so names in that area.  However, there are records of other Wettermanns in central, southern, and northwestern Germany with the earliest actually originating in France (1584 Barbara Wetterman born in Sourbourg, Bas-Rhin).  Other references to Wettermanns were found in the LDS records and lists 4 of 5 Wettermanns in the Copenhagen Denmark area from 1733 to 1802.  As Denmark is actually a land extension of central Germany at the northern border, and Copenhagen is just across the Baltic Sea from Prussia, it may be reasonable to assume that the name could have originated in the north eastern part of modern day Germany and then the Wettermanns immigrated to the Copenhagen Denmark area sometime around 1540-1550 and retained the double N spelling.

A famous Swedish composer named August Wetterman immigrated to California in the 19th century and you can read his story at http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~mkduggan/wetterman.html

The first Wettermann I have found to have immigrated to Texas was also named August Wettermann, who immigrated through the port of Galveston from Bremen, Germany on December 3, 1849 on the ship Reform.  He was from Leinbach, Germany, and I believe some of his descendants lived in Louisiana (one fighting in the Civil War) and then moving on to California.

Another Wettermann family entered the United States in 1851 in New York, and their descendants probably settled in the states of Illinois and Indiana.

One possible coat of arms for the family is "Argent, three thunderbolts in bend, points downward issuing from a cloud in chief, all proper; in dexter base a bend wavy azure."  The argent (white) signifies peace and sincerity, while the azure (blue) represents loyalty and truth and comes from Germany.