This does not apply generally anymore, as I have gathered the info from the family. I am known now as "the Flying Dutchman", because I always arrive unannounced! They use my diagrams at their family meetings.

There are, however, a few branches of the family that are not present in the official publications.

There is a Mecklenburg-Vorpommern branch, represented by the former director of the Greifswald zoo. In Neustrelitz is a Cai von Rantzau-Reventlow I have not been able to place yet.

In Stade lived some Rantzau's. They are represented in the church, but they must have had some descendants.

Beside Josias, there has been another Rantzau in France at the same time. He is mentioned in French documents.

Now I am just looking for the "Californian" branch (official Ranzow's), and Dutch and (originally) Shri-Lankan descendants from the unofficial Ranzow's (Zowran's). I had some very interesting reactions to this website from them.

In the mean time, a text equivalent covering details, for the last 5/6 generations only, of still existing branches is given at

Recently (2001) I discovered a - virtual - French branch.

While driving through the foot hills of the Vogezes, a contractor's sign at the roadside in Lorquin caught my eye. "Les Rantzau"! Well, I hit the brakes, walked back and sure enough, it was true.

(Normally you don't read those signs, and I must only have seen it out of a corner of my eye. Did I acquire a 6th sense for Rantzau?)

I did not know of any Rantzau's thereabouts. It turned out to be an institute for people with brain damage. Later on I learned about some local authors, Erckmann and Chatrian, who used the name for a story about two brothers; "Les Frères Rantzau". This again formed the basis for the libretto of the opera Rantzau by Mascagni. There was known ground again.

This link gives the illegitimate son (Jens Pedersen Ørsted) and his children, and provides further links to their descendants.