Anhalt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The German state of Prussia, which reached the zenith of its power in the late 19th century, is the glorious birthplace of the distinguished surname Anhalt. In the medieval era, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the German lands were inhabited by a variety of Barbarian tribes. The borders of the Barbarian kingdoms changed frequently, but the region that became known as Prussia was roughly divided between the areas of Brandenburg-Prussia, West Prussia, and East Prussia. The colorful history of East Prussia, which was located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and was bordered by Poland and Lithuania, provides a glimpse at the oldest origins of the Anhalt family.

Early Origins of the Anhalt family

The surname Anhalt was first found in Prussia, where the family held a family seat since early times.

Early History of the Anhalt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anhalt research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1138, 1218, 1749 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Anhalt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anhalt Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Anhalt include Anhalt, Anhalte, Annhalt, Annhalte, Anhaldt and many more.

Early Notables of the Anhalt family

Notable figures of the time with the name Anhalt were

Heinrich Wilhelm von Anhalt, a General
Carl Philipp von Anhalt, also a Major General

Anhalt migration to the United States +

Prussia played an extremely influential role in shaping modern German history. It remained a part of Germany until after the Second World War. Prussia was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany. Many Prussians became residents of these new countries after the War, and many migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly to Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Anhalt were

Anhalt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Anhalt, who landed in San Francisco in 1852
Joseph Anhalt, who settled in New York City in 1856
Hirsch Anhalt, who landed in New York City in 1860
George Anhalt, who landed in Arkansas in 1890 1

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)