Show ContentsBelz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the distinguished German surname Belz lie in the kingdom of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Middle High German "Peltzer," meaning "furrier." During the Middle Ages, it was common practice for a man to be identified by the kind of work that he did; thus, it is likely that the progenitor of the name was a furrier who eventually came to be known as "Peltzer" or "Belz."

Early Origins of the Belz family

The surname Belz was first found in the medieval Duchy of Franconia, where the name is thought to have originated. The first known bearer of the name was recorded simply as Belz, and lived in Franconia in 1293. The young Belz family was instrumental during this early period, playing a major role in the development of medieval Bavarian society.

Early History of the Belz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Belz research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1293, 1330, 1357, 1513, 1553, 1590 and 1776 are included under the topic Early Belz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belz Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Belz, Beltz, Peltz, Pelz, Belzer, Beltzer, Peltzer and many more.

Early Notables of the Belz family

Prominent among members of the name Belz in this period include

  • Jacob Peltz (d. 1590), a German goldsmith, and Urban Nathanael Belz (d. 1776), a well-known physician

Belz Ranking

In the United States, the name Belz is the 12,100th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Belz migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Belz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • C Adam Belz, aged 18, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 2
  • Joseph Belz, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Belz (post 1700) +

  • Aaron Belz (b. 1971), American poet
  • Christian Belz (b. 1974), Swiss Olympic long-distance runner
  • Gotthilf Fred Belz (b. 1905), author writing under the pen name Michael Marbach
  • Maurice Henry Belz (b. 1897), Australian professor of mathematics and statistics


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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