| ![Show Contents]() Vanzant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Germany The ancient German region of the Rhineland was the original home of the name Vanzant. Vanzant was a local name, a type of hereditary surname that identified people by the places where they lived. Landowners were the first to use local names, often attaching the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from", in some cases as a mark of aristocratic birth. Local names are by far the most common style of German hereditary surname. Vanzant was a name for someone who lived beside a rocky cliff. Vanzant is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties Early Origins of the Vanzant familyThe surname Vanzant was first found in the Palatinate region of the Rhineland, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the region, eventually moving north with the Palatinate counts to Duesseldorf in the duchy of Berg. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation. Early History of the Vanzant familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vanzant research. Another 245 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1253, 1778, 1823, 1825, 1827, 1829 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Vanzant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Vanzant Spelling VariationsOne can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Vanzant include Zandt, Zand, Zant and others. Early Notables of the Vanzant familyAnother 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vanzant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Vanzant RankingIn the United States, the name Vanzant is the 7,931st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 Migration of the Vanzant familyHundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Vanzant, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early: Heinrich Zander came to Carolina or Texas with his wife and three children in 1738; Charles Zandt arrived in Philadelphia in 1829; Bartholomaus Zant arrived in Georgia between 1734 and 1741. Isaac Van Zandt (1813-1847) was an early Texas pioneer and politician, namesake of Van Zandt county, Texas..
| Contemporary Notables of the name Vanzant (post 1700) | + |
- Iyanla Vanzant (b. 1953), American inspirational speaker
- Ronnie Van Zant (1948-1977), American singer with "Lynyrd Skynyrd"
- Lucille Vanzant, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 2000 2
- J. Huston Vanzant, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Washington, 1956 2
- Franklin Vanzant, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1860 2
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