Frans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The surname Frans is a ancient German name that originated in the Rhineland. While the Germans at first used only one name, population increases created confusion among people of the same name, forcing them to adopt hereditary surnames. Two common types of German names are patronymic names, taken from the given name of the father, and metronymic names, taken from the name of the mother. Frans was derived from the baptismal name for the son of Franciscus. In the religious naming tradition surnames were bestowed in honor of religious figures or church officials. In Europe, theChristian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint. This was the case with the surname Frans.

Early Origins of the Frans family

The surname Frans was first found in the Rhineland, where the family emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Frans family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frans research. Another 194 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1713, 1780, 1815, 1827 and 1892 are included under the topic Early Frans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frans Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Frans include Franz, Frantz, Frants, Frannz, Franntz, Frannts, Frantzen, Fraenzel, Frenzel, Frentz, Frenz and many more.

Early Notables of the Frans family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frans Ranking

In South Africa, the name Frans is the 821^st most popular surname with an estimated 8,458 people with that name. 1

Frans migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Frans, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Frans Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Frans, who arrived in New York in 1709 2
Frans Nasser Frans, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Adventurer John Davies" 2
Peter Frans, who arrived in America in 1731 2
Jacob Frans, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 2
John Christ Frans, aged 26, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1740 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frans Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Frans, who landed in Maryland in 1840 2
Y P Frans, aged 40, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1852 2
Jacque Frans, aged 40, who landed in New York, NY in 1876 2
Marie Frans, aged 17, who arrived in New York, NY in 1876 2
Mane Frans, aged 18, who landed in New York, NY in 1876 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Frans (post 1700) +

Jan Frans Willems (1793-1846), Flemish writer and father of the Flemish movement
Jan Frans van Geel (1756-1830), Flemish sculptor
Frans Wouters (1612-1659), Flemish Baroque painter, he was a court painter to the Roman Emperor and the Prince of Wales
Frans van Houten (b. 1960), Dutch business manager, CEO of Royal Philips Electronics (known universally as Philips) from 1 April 2011 to 15 October 2022.
Frans Derks OON (1930-2020), Dutch football referee and sports executive
Frans Gunnar Bengtsson (1894-1954), Swedish novelist, essayist, poet and biographer
Frans Michel Penning (1894-1953), Dutch physicist who developed the Penning trap and the Penning mixture
Frans Bouwmeester (b. 1940), retired Dutch footballer who played from 1956 to 1971, member of the Netherlands National Team (1959-1968)
Frans Bauer (b. 1973), Dutch singer
Frans De Mulder (1937-2001), Belgian professional road racing cyclist

Citations +

"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
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)