Wanner
A surname that may come from a Germanic personal name beginning with Wan-, though some historical sources also treated it as a variant or shortened form of related names.
The #7,536 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,994 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Wanner is usually explained from a Germanic name base Wan- or from a shortened form of a longer personal name beginning with that element. Some 19th-century writers linked it with forms such as Wanheri or other Wan- names, while others treated it as a related variant of surnames like Vanner or Vannier in continental records. The exact root is not fully secure from the excerpts alone, so the safest reading is that it began as a surname from a personal name rather than from a common noun.
History
The name appears in older Germanic surname notes as a linked form beside other Wan- names, showing that it was recognized as part of a broader family of German surnames. In English-language sources of the 19th century it is also cited as an existing surname in North America, especially in city directories and census-style lists. Modern bearers are most common in German-speaking and German-descended populations.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname compiler listed Wanner alongside names like Wanmaker, Wanless, and Wansey, showing how closely similar-looking surnames were grouped for comparison.
From the historical record
“Huene, Eughind c. 1272 (RH). Wanner. Richard "\ anier, Xor- mandy IISO (MRS; ; Walter le A'anner, En-1. c. 1272 (lUl). AXTanscy. Robert de Wancy, Wancie, or "Wansie, Normandy 1180-”
— The Norman People and their existing descendants in the British dominions and the United States