Frantz
A German and Jewish surname that usually comes from the personal name Francis/Franz, ultimately meaning “Frenchman” or “belonging to the Franks.”
The #2,969 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,561 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Frantz is a German spelling of a surname built on the personal name Franz, the German form of Francis. That personal name goes back to Latin Franciscus, originally meaning “Frankish” or “Frenchman,” and by extension “a person connected with the Franks.” In surname form, Frantz usually marked descent from or association with someone named Franz/Francis rather than describing a job or place.
History
Historical surname dictionaries consistently treat Frantz as a Germanic spelling of Franciscus/Franz, and the name appears in both German-speaking and Central European Jewish families. It was also carried into North America by immigrants from German-speaking regions, where spellings with -tz often reflect regional or older orthography. The surname is especially common in areas with strong German settlement.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Latin root behind Frantz also gave English the surname Francis and the first name Francis/Frances.
From the historical record
“Fraude s. Fred. Frauer s. Fraw. Frantz s. Frod. FRAW I. in der Hauptsache zu got. frauja, ahd. frö „Herr", frowa „Herrin, Frau", bes. in ihrer mythologischen Beziehung auf Fro und Frouwa — weniger zum Eigensch. fro”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen