Fetter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Etymology of Fetter

What does the name Fetter mean?

Medieval Austria is the ancient homeland of the Fetter family. Austria, which was originally home to a Celtic people, was conquered by the Roman Empire in about 15 BC. Following the fall of Rome, Austria was repeatedly invaded by barbarian tribes, such as the Vandals, Visigoths, and Huns, who swept in from the east. During the 5th and 6th centuries, the Alemanni, Avars and Slavs settled Austria. The Avars were defeated in 785 by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne, who set up the East Mark, which later became known as the Österreich. Austria was ruled by the Babenburger dynasty until 1278, when they were succeeded by the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria until the 20th century.

Early Origins of the Fetter family

The surname Fetter was first found in Bavaria, where the name, historically associated with the landed aristocracy, could be considered to have played a major role in the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name was derived from the German word for "cousin," from the German word denoting "father's brother; one related to another, later, a male cousin." 1

The main branch of the family left Bavaria for Styria in Austria in 1587 and later moved into Silesia where they became one of the most respected families. The ancestral seat was the castle and estates of Feistritz, near the city Cilley, two miles from Graz in Styria. The family also acquired the castle and manor Miestitz near Oppeln in Silesia.

Early History of the Fetter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fetter research. Another 249 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1622, 1653, 1666, 1734 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Fetter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fetter Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Fetter include Vetter, Voetter (Bavaria), Votter (Bavaria), Vetters, Vetterle, Voetterl, Vetterling, Vetterlein, Vetterley, Vetterline, Vedder (northern Germany), Vett, Veth, Vether, Fett, Fetter, Fetters, Fetterle and many more.

Early Notables of the Fetter family

Prominent among members of the name Fetter in this period include the knight Eusebius Vetter, who so distinguished himself at the Battle of the White Mountain during the uprising...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fetter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fetter Ranking

In the United States, the name Fetter is the 5,825^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Fetter migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Fetter or a variant listed above:

Fetter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Fetter, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 3
Richard Fetter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1729 3
Jacob Fetter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1729 3
Anna Margarett Fetter, Henry Fetter, Jacob Fetter, and Richard Fetter, who all settled in Philadelphia in 1729
Anna Margaret Fetter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1729 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fetter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Caspar Fetter, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
Charles Fetter, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 3
Stephen Fetter, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Fetter (post 1700) +

W. Roger Fetter, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1956 4
Henry Fetter, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate, 1857-59 4
Trevor Fetter, American businessman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tenet Healthcare
Alexander L. "Sandy" Fetter, American physicist and Professor Emeritus of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford University
Frank Albert Fetter (1863-1949), American economist of the Austrian School
Theodore "Ted" Fetter (1907-1996), Broadway lyricist, best remembered for co-writing the song "Taking a Chance on Love"
Fetter Schrier Hoblitzell (1838-1900), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates, 1870, 1876-78; Speaker of the Maryland State House of Delegates, 1878 5

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html