Surname:Fedewa

Fedewa is a surname that has undergone at least two transliterations and maybe one translation. The first occurred within one generation and transformed De Vedua, the oldest known form of the name,^[1] into various interim forms of Rheinfränkisch, and then, ultimately, Hochdeutsch, or modern German, after first being translated into Latin.

Several interim forms are found in the path from De Vedua, the most ancient spelling, to Vidua, one of two known final German forms. These include Vedua, Wedua, and Widua (although Widua also is a final German form). Extant German branches still use both the Vidua and Widua surnames and the other interim forms may also still be in use.

At least two related groups of Viduas emigrated to Michigan from Germany in the early 1840s. The earliest records show intermittent use of the Fedewa form, but the name was not officially changed to Fedewa and standardized as such until a generation after arrival in the U.S.

Fedewa descendants of the original immigrants have taken the American English form of the name to Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and Germany.

Fedawa (with two a's) is an American English misspelling or mistranscription that appears in some early Census records before the name was standardized in the U.S. It is does not appear that any descendants of Viduas or Fedewas use this spelling.

References

1. ↑ Possibly of Alpine dialect prevalent in and around Tirano, Italy, in the 17th century.

External Links

• fedewa.org Links and more about the history of the Fedewa surname