Yoder Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Yoder last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Yoder last name
Meaning of the Yoder last name: from Theodor, after Saint Joder. Yoder is the American form of the Swiss surname Joder, from a short form of Theodor, after Saint Theodul of the Alps. The family's home for centuries was near Thun in Canton Bern. A curious detail of this surname origin: many Joders joined the Anabaptist movement and moved on to Pennsylvania, and Yoder is now one of the best-known last names among the Amish and Mennonites.
Arms associated with the Yoder name
Swiss heraldry often uses clear shapes and strong colours, and coats of arms associated with the Yoder name, under its Swiss form Joder, grew in that Bernese tradition.
Get your full Yoder family history
This is only a glimpse of the Yoder story. The full Yoder history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Yoder coat of arms. Get the full Yoder report.
Yoder name FAQ
What does the Yoder name mean?
From Theodor, after Saint Joder. Common variants include Joder, Yother, Yotter.
Where does the Yoder surname come from?
It originates in Switzerland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Germany.
Is there a Yoder coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Yoder coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); Schloss Thun archives, Canton of Bern.