Schantz
A German and Swiss surname most likely referring to someone who lived by earthworks or fortifications.
The #9,949 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 95,145 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually linked to German Schanze, meaning a fortification, earthwork, or defensive breastwork. In that sense, Schantz would have been an identifying name for someone who lived near such a structure or at a place associated with it. The older sources also suggest a place-based explanation rather than a personal nickname.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and later turns up among Swiss and Pennsylvania German families. In one historical source, it is glossed as someone who lived near entrenchments, and another notes the Swiss form Tschantz as a related variant. In North America, Schantz became established among immigrant families, especially in German-speaking communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A related German word, Schanze, is still used today for a fortification or earthwork, which makes this surname quite literal in origin.
From the historical record
“zu werden. Der Major v. Dechow that den recht guten Vorschlag, etwas von Schantz-Werk aufzuwerfen und die Canonen hinein zu fahren, damit in eraugnetem Fall alles in Bereitschaft seye, sich moglichst defendiren zukonnen: — Scheiszer bey Scheisz ! ward. Hrn. Obristen Antwort: last sie kommen: was Schantzen ? Mit dem…”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names