The ancestral home of the Batzentorff family was in the German state of
Bavaria. Batzentorff is a
local name for a person who lived in Batzendorff, Bavaria. The family name is derived from the Old German word
batz, meaning
mound or
pile. Batz was used as a colloquialism referring to a
mound of gold, and eventually was used to refer the coins of gold of which the pile was made, and as a
nickname for a rich person. Dorff, the second component of the name, means
village.Early Origins of the Batzentorff family
The surname Batzentorff was first found in
Bavaria, where this name made an important early contribution to the
feudal society of early Europe. The name Batzendorff became prominent in
local affairs and branched into many houses, where the family continued to play important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, as each group sought to increase its power and status in an ever changing territorial profile.
Early History of the Batzentorff family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Batzentorff research.
Another 183 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Batzentorff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Batzentorff 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 Batzentorff include Batzendorff, Battzendorff, Batzendorf, Batzzendorf, Batzenndorf, Batzentorf, Batzentorff, Battzentorf, Battzentorff, Batzendorp, Battzendorp, Batzendorff, Battzendorff, Batzzendorff, Batzzendorp, Batzzentorf, Batzzentorff, Batzenndorff, Batzenndorp and many more.
Early Notables of the Batzentorff family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Batzentorff Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Batzentorff family to the New World and Oceana
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 Batzentorff or a variant listed above: settlers who traveled to and established themselves along the eastern seaboard of the United States and in Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries.