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Franz History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Franz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The surname Franz 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. Franz 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 Franz.

Early Origins of the Franz family

The surname Franz 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 Franz family

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

Franz 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 Franz include Franz, Frantz, Frants, Frannz, Franntz, Frannts, Frantzen, Fraenzel, Frenzel, Frentz, Frenz and many more.

Early Notables of the Franz family

Notables with the name Franz during this period were

Robert Franz (1815-1892), a renowned songwriter, whose skill rivaled Schumann's...
Rudolph Franz (b.1827) was a doctor whose research focused on the conductibility of solids...

Franz Ranking

In the United States, the name Franz is the 3,437^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Franz is ranked the 6,188^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Franz 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 Franz, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Franz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Geo Franz, who arrived in South Carolina in 1749 3
Hans Georg Franz, who landed in America in 1750 3
Conrad Franz, who landed in America in 1764 3
George Franz, who landed in America in 1783 3
Joh Ernst Franz, who arrived in America in 1783 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Georg Henr Franz, who arrived in America in 1811 3
J Franz, who landed in North America in 1832 3
Henry Franz, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
Carl Franz, who arrived in Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Weser" 3
Mr. Eduard Franz, aged 47, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Georg Dillus"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franz migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Franz Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Johann Ernst Franz, who settled in Canada with the United Empire Loyalists in 1783

Franz Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Bertha Franz, aged 2, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Emil Franz, aged 3, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Friedrich Franz, aged 28, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Olga Franz, aged 4, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Paulina Franz, aged 28, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902

Franz migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Franz Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Caroline Franz, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1847 aboard the ship "Hermann von Beckerath" 4

Franz migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Franz Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Franz, (b. 1848), aged 26, German millwright from Germany travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 5
Mrs. Ellen Franz, (b. 1846), aged 28, German settler from Germany travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Franz (post 1700) +

Ronald Stephen "Ron" Franz (1945-2022), American professional basketball player from Kansas City, Kansas
Dennis Franz (b. 1944), Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor
Elizabeth Franz (b. 1941), American actress of stage and television
Arthur Franz (1920-2006), American actor
Robert Franz (1815-1892), German composer of about 350 lieder, intimate songs, usually in strophic form
Maik Franz (b. 1981), German football defender
Raymond Franz (b. 1922), member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (1971-1980)
Hermann Franz Naegele (1801-1851), German noted obstetrician, son of Franz Karl Naegele
Robert Franz Schmidt (1932-2017), German physiologist and professor emeritus
Eduard Franz Sekler (1920-2017), Austrian architectural historian and Osgood Hooker Professor of Visual Art Emeritus

Historic Events for the Franz family +

Hindenburg LZ-129

Mr. Werner Franz (1922-1937), German Cabin Boy from Frankfurt, Germany, who worked on board the Hindenburg LZ-129 and survived the Airship Fire 6

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HERMANN VON BECKERATH 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847HermanVonBeckerath.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Hindenburg Disaster Passenger List | Airships.net. (Retrieved 2014, April 11) . Retrieved from http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/hindenburg-passenger-list/