Showalter

The Showalter/Schowalter family originates from the Swiss village Strengelbach. The first known member, Hans Schonwalder, was mentioned in a 1566 record tax record. Later, the family converted to Anabaptism. Because of religious persecution and poverty, they migrated to Palatinate (Germany), Alsace (France) and from there to the U.S., where most of them live today, numbering over 10,000 people. The Showalter variant is only found in America today, with the vast majority living in the U.S. and a small number in Canada, while the Schowalter variant is found in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the U.S.