Golz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Golz. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname found in the Rhineland was the local name, a name taken on from a place-name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of a village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Golz was given to someone who lived in the town of Golz, in the Rhineland. Golz is a Habitation name that was originally derived from a place-name. Such names derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Golz family

The surname Golz was first found in the Rhine region, where the name could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The founding father of the Prussian branch was Andreas Grafen von Dinheim, who moved from the Rhine to Poland, where he entered the service of King Boleslaw III. He obtained the estate Golczewo, from which the name Goltz was taken, although it was originally spelt Goltiz and Goltzow. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. They formed many branches mainly in Poland and Brandenburg, and later in Austria.

Early History of the Golz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Golz research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1652, 1661, 1801, 1843, 1870 and 1916 are included under the topic Early Golz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Golz 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 Golz include Goltz, Golz, Goeltz, Goelz, Goltiz, Goltzow and many more.

Early Notables of the Golz family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Golz Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Golz migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Golz, or one of its variants above:

Golz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Leonard Golz, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 1
Ad Golz, aged 21, who arrived in America in 1853 1
Eva Elis Golz, aged 24, who arrived in America in 1853 1
Joh Ad Golz, aged 22, who landed in America in 1853 1
Anna Golz, who arrived in New York in 1854 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)