Below History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Below family

The surname Below was first found in Pomerania, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. The name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs. Chronicles first mention the family in the year 1200. The ancestral castle was called Peest and was located in the district of Lauenburg-Butow. This castle was owned by Gerd von Below in 1335, and he is taken to be the founding father of many of the most prominent branches of the family. In the 14th century, they expanded into Mecklenburg and the Mark region. In Mecklenburg, the ancestral seat of the family was Below in the district of Wredenhagen in Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Early History of the Below family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Below research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1674, 1691 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Below History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Below Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Below, Bellow, Belloe, Beloe, Bellau, Bellaut and many more.

Early Notables of the Below family

Prominent bearers of the name Below at this time were

Bertram von Below, the Lord of Gatz, who became Privy Councillor to Duke Bogislaus in 1674...
In 1691, Friedrich III of Brandenburg made Nicolaus von Below the Commandant of Spandau...
Ludwig Lorenz von Below was a Prussian lieutenant general and the Governor of Stettin in the 18th century...

Below migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Below Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francis Below, who arrived in New York in 1795 1

Below Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Below, aged 24, who landed in Delaware Bay in 1805 1
W. C. Below, who arrived in San Francisco in 1850
Max Below, who settled in Texas in 1859
Max Below, who settled in Texas in 1859 at the age of 19
William Below, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866

Contemporary Notables of the name Below (post 1700) +

Fred Below (1926-1988), American blues drummer
Otto Ernst Vinzent Leo von Below (1857-1944), Prussian general officer in the Imperial German Army during the First World War
Gerd-Paul Valerian Georg Heinrich von Below (1892-1953), German World War II general, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Fritz Theodor Carl von Below (1853-1918), Prussian general in the German Army during the First World War; he commanded troops during the Battle of the Somme, the Second Battle of the Aisne, and the German spring offensive in 1918

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)