The Widener family name history

Research shows that the German surname Widener is of local origin, being derived from the place where a man once lived. It is either derived from the Middle High German word "wide", which means "a willow" (Latin-salix), or the Middle Low German word "weide", meaning "pasture". First of all, the name means "dweller at the sign of the Willow tree". In the early Middle Ages, before the development of the hereditary system which exists today, in order to distinguish themselves from their competitors, and as so many people of the times were illiterate, merchants and tavern-keepers displayed a sign outside there premises, usually depicting some plant, animal or other such symbol. The residents of the premise became known by the house-sign under which they lived, and eventually adopted it as the proper surname. One of the earliest references to the  surname, although in it's Latin form, mentions John dicyus de Salicibus (called "from the Willow"), a resident of Munchen-Gladbach in 1312. A family called der Wyden, according to the Records of Hesse, was living in Worms in 1357. Matthias van der Widen was the head of the church of St. Jacob in Lubeck in 1619, and was granted the right to bear a Coat of Arms. One Harry Widener from Philadelphia perished on the Titanic in 1912. Variants of the surname include Weide(n), van der Weiden, and von der Widen.

Blazon of Arms: Per fesse argent and or Second on water two swans argent naiant surmounted by a background of reeds proper. Overall a tree.
Crest: The tree proper of the arms.
Origin: Germany.

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