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'''''Yoder''''' is a medieval surname firstthat associatedoriginated withfrom the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. The name dates back to at least 1260, and is a shortened version of the name ''Theodorus''.
==Etymology==
Theodorus was a 4th-century missionary-monk who crossed the Alps from Italy to establish a Catholic outpost in the [[Valais]] region of southern [[Switzerland]].
Records indicate Theodorus was appointed to be the [[Bishop of Sion|bishop of Octodurum]] in present day [[Martigny, Switzerland]]. He is known to have participated in the [[council of Aquileia, 381|Council of Aquileia]] in 381, his presence being preserved on the attendance list as "Theodorus Episcopus Octodorensis." Theodorus was also one of the signatories of a letter addressed by the [[Synod of Milan]] to [[Pope Siricius]] early in 390, informing him of their condemnation of the monk [[Jovinian]] and his followers.
In the 6th century, Theodorus's former seat was moved to the fortified town of [[Sion, Switzerland]]. The bones of Theodorus were transported to the new site and later exhibited in a burial niche. This burial niche, an arched grave similar to a [[sarcophagus]], was rediscovered in the early 1960s by excavations in the [[crypt]] under Saint Theodorus's Church in Sion.
Centuries after his death, many relics of Theodorus wound up in the fortified Valeria Church in Switzerland. Unfortunately, they were lost to the plundering of French troops during the [[French Revolution]].
===Popularity===
Although Theodorus was a popular figure in life, for a time his legend grew in death, especially during the Middle Ages in Switzerland and the [[Savoy]] region of [[France]].
In the 8th century, German-speaking [[Walser]]s who had migrated into the [[canton of Valais]] in Switzerland were particularly devoted to the saint. In the 13th century when many Walsers left the Wallis region and spread to [[Italy]], [[Liechtenstein]], and [[Austria]], they took the legend of Theodorus with them. They dedicated altars and bells to him, founded eternal seasons in his honor, and erected statues of him.
Today devotion to Theodorus is found not only in the [[canton of Valais]] and among the Walsers but in the rest of Switzerland and throughout northern Italy, France, southern Germany, Liechtenstein, and Austria. The festival of Saint Theodorus is celebrated in parts of [[Europe]] on August 16.
In 1981, a postage stamp was issued by Liechtenstein to commemorate the 1600-year anniversary of Theodorus's appointment to the post of bishop. The horizontal stamp depicts a sculpture of Theodorus from the parish church of Laterns. The approximately 500-year-old sculpture is thought to be among the most beautiful visual images of the saint. The stamp was designed by Bruno Kaufmann and Walter Wachter.
==Origin of the surname==
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