Contents [hide]

Gunter History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Gunter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany
Wales

Etymology of Gunter

What does the name Gunter mean?

The Gunter surname is derived from the Norman personal name Gunter, which came in turn from the Old French Gontier.

Early Origins of the Gunter family

The surname Gunter was first found in Breconshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog), a traditional county in southern Wales, which takes its name from the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (5th-10th centuries), where they held a family seat on the Welsh border. The Celtic resistance north and south along the border of Wales and England was considerably increased after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Normans met more resistance from the Welsh than in the rest of England. The Welsh fought from behind their hills and mountains and tenaciously held their ground. Finally, Edward 1st, to placate this founding nation, conferred the principality of Wales upon his eldest son, who became Edward II. This brought Wales into England as an equal while the King was alive, and integral part of the royal title when on the throne. Edward III confirmed and all Princes of Wales were presented to the Welsh people at Caernarvon Castle. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Welsh surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Gunter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gunter research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1076, 1084, 1135, 1141, 1205, 1214, 1406, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1559, 1562, 1581, 1600, 1603, 1604 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Gunter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gunter, Gunther, Gonton, Guynton, Goynton, Guynter, Gounter, Gaunter, Gawnter, Guntier, Guntar, Gonton, Gunbert and many more.

Early Notables of the Gunter family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Edmund Gunter (1581-1626), English mathematician, born in Hertfordshire, he created Gunter's chain, Gunter's quadrant and Gunter's scale

Gunter Ranking

In the United States, the name Gunter is the 1,288^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 1

Gunter migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gunter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Lester Gunter, age 13, who arrived in Boston in 1635
Lester Gunter, aged 13, who landed in New England in 1635 2
John Gunter, who arrived in Maryland in 1649 2
Jacob Gunter, who settled in Virginia in 1651
Edward Gunter, who settled in Virginia in 1652
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henrich Gunter, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1729
Anton Gunter, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1730
Ewald Gunter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 2
Conrad Gunter arrived at the port of Philadelphia in 1748
Michael Gunter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Leont Gunter, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 2
Adam Gunter, who settled in Baltimore in 1834
Conrad Gunter, who arrived in Mississippi in 1840 2
Frank Gunter, aged 21, who landed in Missouri in 1840 2
Christian Frederick Gunter, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1849 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunter Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Miss Pauline Gunter, aged 21, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Italia" 3
Mr. Rudolph Gunter, aged 17, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Italia" 4
Miss Emma Gunter, aged 11, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Italia" 5

Gunter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gunter Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Andrew Gunter U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 6
Mr. Conrad Gunter U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 6

Gunter Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Gunter, aged 7, who arrived in Montreal in 1841
Martha Gunter, aged 5, who arrived in Montreal in 1841
Mary Gunter, aged 10, who landed in Montreal in 1841
Eliza Gunter, aged 2, who arrived in Montreal in 1841
Eliza Gunter, aged 28, who landed in Montreal in 1841
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunter migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gunter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Sarah Gunter, aged 18, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Tory" in 1850 7

Gunter migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gunter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Jane Gunter, aged 22, a nurse, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1873 8
Charlotte Gunter, aged 26, a cook, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wild Duck" in 1873
Thomas E. Gunter, aged 16, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875

Gunter migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9

Gunter Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. William Gunter, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Gunter (post 1700) +

William Dawson "Bill" Gunter Jr. (1934-2024), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 5th district (1973-1975)
Archibald Clavering Gunter (1847-1907), American author, best known for authoring the novel that the film A Florida Enchantment was based upon, and for his hand in popularizing "Casey at the Bat"
Thomas Montague Gunter (1826-1904), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Arkansas, 1874-83 11
Roscoe Gunter, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1984 11
R. C. Gunter, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Gold Democrat National Convention from Alabama, 1896 11
Linda Gunter, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 2004, 2008 11
Julius Caldeen Gunter (1858-1940), American Democratic Party politician, Judge, Colorado Court of Appeals, 1901-05; Justice of Colorado State Supreme Court, 1905-07; Governor of Colorado, 1917-19 11
Clarence Gunter, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1924; Member of Democratic National Committee from Arizona, 1929 11
Carolyn Gunter, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Arizona, 1972 11
Benjamin T. Gunter, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1876; Member of Virginia State Senate 37th District, 1904-11 11
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"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)
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2152
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2153
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2154
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) THE TORY 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Tory.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 6th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html