Wunderlich Family History

Family Origin
Family Crests
Famous Wunderlichs
Other Wunderlich Family Homepages

I found the following information in "Großes Buch der Familiennamen" from Horst Naumann (Falken Verlag 1996): the name appeared first in 1372. The name comes from the old Middle High German word "wunderlich" and means to be wondrous, moody, eccentric, strange, odd, maybe hot-tempered.

The Wunderlichs came from Frankfurt/Main (Germany). The oldest known ancestor is Hans Wunderlich. He became a citizen of Frankfurt a.M. in 1579. The family went to Hamburg in 1668. From there family members went to Quedlinburg, Kiel, Malaga and Mecklenburg. From Mecklenburg one branch of the family went to West Prussia and came back after World War I. In the 1930s family members were known in Schwerin/Meckl., Rostock, Kolberg, Allmerswind, Berlin, Kassel, Malaga and North America.

At the Wunderlich Family Homepage I found a letter from Thomas Murray Wunderlich which indicated a swiss origin of a part of our family (my translation):

"WUNDERLICH: Family from Zurich. Lutti Wunderlich fisherman from Urickon became a citizen in 1419. Hans Wunderlich 1495 Zwolfer at the seamen. Jacob Wunderlich 1675 Zwolfer at the Weggen + 1680.
CREST: Red, In the main part a lying silver fish, underneath three (1,2) silver rings.
HELMET: Wings like shield. Blankets red/silver."

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I've heard about the following Wunderlich family crests:

• The family crest in the left belongs to our part of the family.
  You can find it in "Großes Wappenbilderlexikon der bürgerlichen Geschlechter Deutschlands, Österreichs und der Schweiz" (Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1992).
  Thomas Murray Wunderlich (see above) described this family crest belongs to a swiss branch of our family.
• The second family crest is used by Destillerie & Likörfabrik Adolf Wunderlich Vienna.
• As far as I know the third family crest was created to a family reunion in Canada some years ago.
  (see The Wunderlich Family Homepage by Wilf Wunderlich) -->
• I found the crest in the right in "Wunderlich Familien-Weltbuch" (Halbert's Family Heritage International Inc., USA 1997). They say the source is J. B. Rietstap's "Armorial General" 1874 with the following description:
  "Waagerecht geteilt; Oben rot, ein silbernes Kreuz; Unten silber und rot gerautet."

I found another description of a Wunderlich family crest without source:

"Durch einen Rebstock geteilter Schild, dessen rechte Seite (vom Beschauer) zwei grüne Weintrauben und ein grünes Blatt im roten Felde enthält. Die linke Seite enthält im silbernen Felde zwei rote fünfblättrige Rosen, deren Mittelstück gold ist. Zwischen den Blättern sind goldene Randblätter. Die Helmdecken sind silber und rot."

Artists

• Fritz Wunderlich: German opera tenor, especially Mozart and Strauss
  born 26.09.1930 in Kusel, died 17.09.1966 in Heidelberg
  since 1960 Bavarian Opera Munich, since 1962 Opera Vienna
  ( Discographie etc., Tenorland)
• Paul Wunderlich: Painter
  born 10.03.1927 in Berlin
  1951-1963 Landeskunstschule Hamburg, 1963-1968 Professor at Hamburger Akademie, then New York
• Heinz Wunderlich: organist, especially Bach and Reger
  born 25.04.1919 in Leipzig
  1943-1957 Kirchenmusikdirektor in Halle/Saale, 1958-1982 in Hamburg St. Jacobi, Professor at Musikhochschule Hamburg
• Klaus Wunderlich: German organist, Hammond organ
  born 1931, died 1997
  ( Homepage)
• Christian Wunderlich: German actor and pop singer
  born 1979
  ( Homepage)

Scientists

• Hans-Georg Wunderlich: Geologe
  born 19.01.1928 in Stuttgart, died 28.05.1974 in Stuttgart
  since 1963 Professor in Goettingen, since 1970 in Stuttgart;
• Karl Reinhold August Wunderlich: Internist
  born 04.08.1815 in Sulz/Neckar, died 25.09.1877 in Leipzig
  1843 Professor in Tuebingen and 1850 in Leipzig;

• Wunderlich Genealogy by Thomas R. Wunderlich
• The Wunderlich Family Homepage by Wilfred Wunderlich
• Ancestors and Descendants of Heinrich and Elise Wunderlich by Dianne K. Urban
• Wunderlich Family History by Karen Wunderlich Stezowski

© 1999-2001 Jens Wunderlich (last changes: 05. Jan. 2001)
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