| ![Show Contents]() Zanders History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Germany The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Zanders. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname found in the Rhineland was the local name, a name taken on from a place-name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of a village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Zanders was given to someone who lived beside a rocky cliff. Zanders 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 Zanders familyThe surname Zanders 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 Zanders familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Zanders 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 Zanders History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Zanders Spelling VariationsIn 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 Zanders include Zandt, Zand, Zant and others. Early Notables of the Zanders familyAnother 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Zanders Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Zanders RankingIn the United States, the name Zanders is the 12,694th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 Migration of the Zanders familyThe great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Zanders, or one of its variants above: 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 Zanders (post 1700) | + |
- Harry Zanders, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, 1922-26 2
- Emma Zanders, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, 1926-34 2
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