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| Origins Available: |
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Bavaria, one of the oldest and largest of the German states, is the birthplace of the Spang family. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules. Names derived from occupations were particularly common in this region. Spang is an occupational surname for metal worker having derived from the German word spange, meaning a clasp or buckle of the sort such a craftsman might have designed.
The surname Spang was first found in Bavaria, where the name spread to the north and gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries such as Holland, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spang research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1484, 1528, 1540, 1550, 1604, 1678, 1686, 1719 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Spang History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Spang include Spengler, Spengel, Spengele, Spengeler, Spenger (Munich), Spaengler, Spaengel, Spangeler, Spangler and many more.
Prominent among members of the name Spang in this period include
Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Spang or a variant listed above: