Lantz (surname)

Surname

Lantz

Germany (green) and Sweden (orange) in Europe

Pronunciation| lan-ts, lahn-ts, lahns
Origin
Word/name| German, Swedish
Meaning| "Land," or “Lance”
Region of origin|  Germany
Sweden
Other names
Variant form(s)| Lanz, Lanze, Lantze, Lanitz, Land, Lanzo, Lando[1][2]

Lantz is a surname of German and Swedish origin.

German foot soldiers fighting with lances

## German origins

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The German surname Lantz is thought to have several origins. It is thought to possibly be a variant habitational surname adopted by people from settlements called "Lanz,"[3] a shortened habitational name derived from "Lanzo" or "Lando," which was originally a short form of various compound names using the element "land" or "territory",[4] or possibly derived as a warrior's name from the weapon lance (modern German, "lanze"). Though found throughout Germany, today the surname is most heavily concentrated in the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein in the north, and Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland in the southwest.[5] Geographically, it may have originated in the region of Old Saxony.[6]

## Swedish origin

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The Swedish surname Lantz is thought to have originated as a military-related name derived from "lance," (modern Swedish, "lans") which is a pole weapon designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier called a Lancer.[7] Military-related names became relatively common in the Swedish military in the 17th and 18th centuries as members were required to adopt unique surnames as a means to distinguish themselves from one another.[8]

## German Variants

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* Lanz
* Lanze
* Lantze
* Lanitz
* Land
* Lanzo
* Lando

## Notable people with the surname

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* Adolf Lantz (1882–1949), Austrian screenwriter
* Annika Lantz (born 1968), Swedish radio host, comedian and television presenter
* Charles Lantz (1884–1962), American football coach
* Francess Lantz (1952–2004), American fiction writer
* Frank Lantz (born 1963), Director of the New York University Game Center
* Gustaf Lantz (born 1981), Swedish politician
* James A. Lantz (1921–2014), American lawyer and politician
* Jeff Lantz, Canadian lawyer, judge and politician
* Joachim Lantz (born 1977), Swedish football player
* Jörgen Lantz (born 1943), Swedish actor
* Kenneth Lantz (born 1949), Swedish politician
* Lisa Lantz (born 1987), Swedish football player
* Marcus Lantz (born 1975), Swedish football player
* Maria Lantz, Swedish artist
* Michael Lantz (1908–1988), American sculptor and medalist
* Mose Lantz (1903–1969), American football player
* Patricia Lantz, American politician
* Rick Lantz, American football coach
* Rob Lantz, Canadian politician
* Simon E. Lantz (1872–1952), American farmer and politician
* Stu Lantz (born 1946), American basketball player
* Walter Lantz (1899–1994), American cartoonist and animator; creator of Woody Woodpecker
* Paula Lantz, American social epidemiologist

## See also

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* Lanz (surname)
* Lance (surname)

## References

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1. ^ "lantz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018
2. ^ "German Surname Distribution Map, Lantz". geogen.stoepel.net. Retrieved 22 June 2018
3. ^ "Lantz Family History". ancestry.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018
4. ^ "Lantz". oxfordreference.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018
5. ^ "German Surname Distribution Map, Lantz". geogen.stoepel.net. Retrieved 22 June 2018
6. ^ "lantz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018
7. ^ "Lantz". behindthename.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018
8. ^ "Lantz". behindthename.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018