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.

Wigger river between Strengelbach and Zofingen, the first members of the family farmed here

Notable members:

• Albert Kenneth Showalter (1908-1986) Meteorologist; invented the Showalter Stability Index (SSI)
• Anthony Johnson Showalter (1858–1924), an American gospel music composer, teacher and publisher
• Buck Showalter (born 1956), professional baseball player and manager
• Dennis Showalter (1942–2019), American historian
• Daniel Showalter (1830–1866), California miner and state legislator, duelist, secessionist, soldier for the Confederate States of America in Texas
• Don Showalter, a professor and former chairman of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
• Elaine Showalter (born 1941), an American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues
• Gena Showalter (born 1975), an American author in the genres of contemporary romance, paranormal romance and young adult
• Jackson Showalter (1860–1935), a 5-time U.S. Chess Champion
• Joseph Baltzell Showalter (1851–1932), a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• Mark R. Showalter (born 1957), an American astronomer
• Max Showalter (1917–2000), an American film, television and stage actor
• Michael Showalter (born 1970), an American actor, writer, and director and part of the sketch comedy trio Stella
• William Showalter, American chairmaker