Surname Wurster - Meaning and Origin
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Finding My Roots: A Personal Journey Through iGENEA DNA Test and the Wurster Heritage
A personal essay discussing the emotional journey of taking an iGENEA DNA test, tracing the Wurster lineage and the newfound respect for family and heritage it fostered.
Y. Wurster
read moreWurster: What does the surname Wurster mean?
The last name Wurster is of German and Swiss-German origin. It is derived from the German word “Wurster”, which means “roaster” or “griller”. It was most likely an occupational surname for someone who prepared or cooked food over a grill or fire.
The surname Wurster can be found in records dating back to the 17th century in the Alsace region of France. In this region, the surname was used both as an occupational area of study and a hereditary name. Over time, the name has been adopted in other regions and countries, including the United States.
Today the Wurster surname is still found mostly in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. In the United States, the Wurster family is found mainly in the midwestern states of Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
The Wurster family has a proud and long tradition of excellent cooks, with many surviving dishes still in circulation. The family has taken pride in their culinary abilities for centuries and it is likely that the family’s tradition of excellent cookery started at least by the 19th century.
Regardless of where the surname has been found, its origins remain rooted in the grilling, roasting, and cooking of food. The Wurster family has a long and proud history of excellent cooks, a tradition which has been carried on to this day.
Order DNA origin analysisWurster: Where does the name Wurster come from?
The last name Wurster is most commonly seen in Germany, especially the Bavarian region. It is speculated that the name originated with a large number of immigrations to Bavaria as early as the 16th century and spread out from there due to military and religious pursuits. Since then, many of the Wurster descendants have found their home in Germany, with a large population in the Bavarian region.
Today, Wurster can be found throughout Germany. The name is fairly common, although not as popular as other surnames. According to Geneanet, twelve thousand people shared this last name in 2017, most living in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. People with the Wurster last name also live in Austria, Switzerland, and other countries in the German speaking regions, though in smaller numbers.
The Wurster name can be seen in other parts of the world such as the United States, Canada, and Australia due to immigration and relocation. Despite this, the places with the highest concentration of the surname Wurster remain in the German-speaking communities of Europe, with an especially high presence in Germany.
Variations of the surname Wurster
The Wurster surname has several variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These include Wuerster, Wurster, Wurscht, Wurst, Wurstle, Wurstel, and Wurtzle.
The Wurster surname can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany and Switzerland, and is a topographical term for someone who lived near or near a castle. The term Wuster comes from the Old German wust or wuster, meaning fortress. It could also have been derived from the personal name Weltzer, which evolved into the surname Wust and eventually became Wurster.
In America, some variant spellings of the Wurster surname have lost their German origin and become Anglicized; for example Wurst could become Wurstel, and Wurstle became Wurtzel.
Variations of the Wurster surname are still common in Germany and in other parts of the world. For example, Wurster is a common surname in the Czech Republic, particularly in Moravia. Wurscht, a variant found in Austria, is derived from the Austrian term for sausage, würste. The German variant Wurst and its other forms are still found in Germany.
The Wurster surname has also been carried to other countries, including England, Scotland, Australia, and Canada. While the spelling has changed slightly in these countries, the origin of the name has remained the same.
Famous people with the name Wurster
- Charles Wurster: Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
- Joseph Wurster: Painter and engraver who was active in the late 19th century.
- David Wurster: Popular Windows software engineer at Microsoft during the mid-1990s.
- Charles Wurster Jr.: Renowned commercial artist and animator.
- Emlen Wurster: Early American jockey known for winning the 1915 Kentucky Derby.
- Sam Wurster: Grammy Award-winning producer, musician, and songwriter.
- Thaddeus Wurster: American astronomer and director of the United States Naval Observatory.
- John Wurster: 19th century Pennsylvania politician who served in the House of Representatives.
- Julia Wurster: 19th-century American social reformer and temperance advocate.
- Michael Wurster: Theoretical Physicist at the University of Göttingen in Germany.