Plantz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

From the historical and enchanting region of Austria emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Plantz family. Originally, the Austrian people were known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted in Austria is extremely interesting. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Often they adopted names that were derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The name Plantz is a nickname type of surname for a person with blond hair or a pale complexion having derived from the German word blanc, which means white or light.

Early Origins of the Plantz family

The surname Plantz was first found in Austria and southern Bavaria, where this family made important contributions toward the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social and political affairs, the family forged alliances with other families within the nation. Chronicles first mention Nicholas Plank of Bruenn in 1345, and the brothers Joerg and Ulrich Plank of Ulm in 1460.

Early History of the Plantz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plantz research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1733 and 1751 are included under the topic Early Plantz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plantz 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 Plantz include Planck, Planckh, Plank, Plankl, Plankel, Plenk, Blanck and many more.

Early Notables of the Plantz family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Plantz Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plantz migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Plantz were

Plantz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christoph Plantz, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 1
Johan Matthias Plantz, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 1
Lorentz Plantz, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 1
Leonhart Plantz, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 1
Geo Jacob Plantz, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Plantz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Plantz, who arrived in Mississippi in 1841 1
Charlotte Sophie Plantz, aged 26, who landed in America in 1845 1
Joh Heinr Plantz, who landed in America in 1857 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Plantz (post 1700) +

Truman Plantz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1892 2
Homer G. Plantz, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, 1863-69 2

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html