Surname Waser - Meaning and Origin

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Y. Waser

Waser: What does the surname Waser mean?

The surname Waser is derived from the Old German word “wassere” which translates to “water” in English. This suggests that the original bearer of the name may have been associated with a river, lake, or another source of water.

In Old German, the “-er” suffix usually indicated a person who lived close to or worked with items related to the root of the name. In the case of Waser, this could indicate that the early bearers of the name had some kind of relationship with a body of water, such as fishermen, sailors, ferrymen, millers, or boat builders.

As with many German surnames, Waser has survived hundreds of years and been adopted by people who may not originally have been from the area. Today, Waser is a common surname in German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Luxembourg. It is also found in the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania, which was originally colonized by mainly German-speaking people.

The Waser surname is an interesting reminder of the distant past, and the water-related occupations of its original bearers. What was once a common source of employment centuries ago is now a reminder of the people who made a living from the water. In this way, the name Waser is just one of many fascinating examples of how surnames can tell us something about our ancestors lives.

Waser: Where does the name Waser come from?

The last name Waser is most commonly found in Switzerland today. Despite its origin in Germany and Austria, the Waser surname has been widely adopted by Swiss nationals. In fact, Waser is the 33rd most common last name in Switzerland according to the latest census.

The Waser name is relatively well-distributed throughout Switzerland’s cantons, with especially high concentrations in Canton Schwyz, Canton Zug, and Canton Lucerne. The small Canton of Appenzel, located in the northeast of Switzerland, even carries the highest rate of Waser records of any canton with 5.1 Wasers per 1,000 people.

Outside of Switzerland, Waser is most common in Germany. Here, the surname is still widely spread, although it is rarely found amongst the country’s top 100 surnames. The Waser surname is also common across the Middle East, due largely to the Continental origin of the name and its common adoption by Swiss nationals.

Overall, the Waser surname is still most commonly found in Switzerland, with lesser concentrations present in Germanic countries and parts of the Middle East. However, due to its common roots in Austrian and German history, it can be found throughout Europe and even the wider world.

Variations of the surname Waser

The surname Waser (also spelled Wasser, Waßer, Wassar, Wasserle, Wassari, Veser, Vasser, Vasserle, Vassari, Vasseri and Voyser) is of German, Swiss, and Ashkenazi Jewish origin. It is derived from the Middle High German word wasser, meaning “water” or “stream”, or the topographical name for someone who lived near a body of water.

In Germany, the surname Waser most likely originated as a variant of the personal name Vasar, a diminutive of the Old High German name Wasserkeß (‘dweller at the water-chest’). Variants of the surname Waser in and around Germany include Wasserle, Wassari, Waßer, and Veser.

In Switzerland, the surname Waser is most likely a variant of the personal name Vasser, itself a variant of the southern German form Waser. The variants in Switzerland include Vasserle, Vassari, and Vasseri.

The surnames Waser and Wasser were also common among Ashkenazi Jewish families, probably due to the same origins as other German and Swiss versions of the name. As with the other variations of the name, the spelling of Waser within Jewish populations could vary, with forms such as Voyser being used in some cases.

Famous people with the name Waser

• Emil Waser, Swiss Flying ace of World War I
• Christian Waser, Swiss professional ice hockey player
• James Waser, former American football coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Oskar Waser, Swiss medicine prize winner for his study of cardiac catheterization
• Elwood Waser, a renowned American lawyer
• Yukio Waser, a famous Japanese businessman
• Jeremy Waser, a successful American stand-up comedian
• Thomas Waser, a popular Swiss jazz musician
• Elizabeth Waser, an American painter and illustrator
• Gustav Waser, a famous German physiologist

Other surnames

WasekWasem