Where Does the Vetterlein Surname Come From?

Long before computers fixed spellings, Vetterlein and Vetter were used side by side. Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “cousin”.

Vetterlein adds -lein to the root of Vetter, a familiar way of forming related surnames. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. The same family of names includes Vetterli, Vetterle and Vetterl.

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Vetterlein, so the heraldry linked to Vetter is a starting point, not an automatic right. Research your Vetterlein family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.