Terwilliger
A Dutch-origin surname, probably tied to a word for a by-law or civic regulation, though the old source is not fully secure.
The #7,966 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,343 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The 19th-century source links Terwilliger to Dutch words such as "der wittikeur," glossed as a by-law or statute, and to a related phrase meaning usable or sellable ware. The excerpt is muddled and likely reflects older speculative etymology rather than a settled derivation. As a result, the name is best treated as having a probable Dutch origin, but with the exact linguistic source unclear.
History
Terwilliger is established as a Dutch-American surname and is especially associated with families in the northeastern United States, where many Dutch names were preserved after early colonial settlement. The name is uncommon overall but is well known in some local American family histories and place-name contexts. Because the old dictionary entry is noisy, the exact historical path from Dutch form to modern surname remains uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Despite its rarity, Terwilliger is memorable enough to have become a familiar fictional surname in American popular culture.
From the historical record
“TERRIL, TIRREL. Local The little tower. TERWILLIGER. Dutch, "Der Wittikeur," a by-law, a stat- ute. " Der wittige-waar" serviceable ware, or ware that seUs well TEW. (Welsh.) Fat, a corpulent person. THEOBALD. God's power; but in the Saxon llieobdld signi- fies powerful or bold over the people. In the Saxon Psalter…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names