Show ContentsGanz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German surname Ganz is derived from the Middle High German word "ganser," which means "gander." Generally it came was a name for people, whose occupation involved raising geese.

Early Origins of the Ganz family

The surname Ganz was first found in Brunswick, where the name is considered to have made a great contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone early development in Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. The family name also spread to Thuringia and to East Prussia.

Early History of the Ganz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ganz research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1796, 1797, 1804, 1806, 1819, 1825, 1826, 1833, 1837, 1839, 1845 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Ganz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ganz Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gans, Ganss, Ganse, Gansse, Ganz, Ganze, Gantz and many more.

Early Notables of the Ganz family

Notables of the time included

  • Eduard Ganz (1797-1839) was a German jurist born in Berlin, who taught law at the university. He was a liberal thinker and his course in Modern History was banned by the Prussian government
  • Adolf Ganz, born Oct. 14, 1796, was a violinist who studied harmony under Hollbusch; conductor at Mayence (1819), Capellmeister to the Grand Duke of Hesse Darmstadt (1825); composed a melodrama, overt...

Ganz Ranking

In the United States, the name Ganz is the 14,319th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Ganz migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ganz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Nicolaus Ganz, who arrived in New York, NY in 1782 [2]
Ganz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Ganz, aged 24, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 [2]
  • Franz Ganz, who landed in New Orleans, Ca in 1852 [2]
  • Lorenz Ganz, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1860 [2]
  • Mathias Ganz, who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1888
Ganz Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Rudolph Ganz, who landed in Illinois in 1900 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Ganz (post 1700) +

  • Emil Ganz, American politician, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, 1885-86, 1899-1901 [3]
  • David L. Ganz, American politician, Mayor of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, 2001-02 [3]
  • Rudolph Ganz (1877-1972), born in Switzerland, an influential conductor and composer in the United States
  • Bruno Ganz (1941-2019), Swiss actor, known for Downfall, Wings of Desire, Nosferatu the Vampyre
  • Joan Ganz Cooney (b. 1929), American television producer, one of the founder of Children's Television Workshop, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Bismarck
  • Anton Ganz (1917-1941), German Bootsmannmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [4]


  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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  4. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


Houseofnames.com on Facebook