Lantz
Of German origin, a form of the surname meaning "land dweller."
Name Census estimates that about 515 living Americans carry the first name Lantz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lantz today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lantz births was 1993 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lantz. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
515
~ 1 in 665,542 Americans
Peak year
1993
18 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2020 SSA rank
#13,256
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Lantz: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lantz from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 123 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lantz by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lantz during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lantz' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lantz
The name Lantz is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "lanzo," which means "land" or "territory." The name was initially used to identify people who lived in a particular region or owned land.
In the early medieval period, the name Lantz was commonly found in parts of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was often used as a surname, but over time, it also became a given name, particularly in the Germanic regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lantz can be found in the Codex Laureshamensis, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 9th century. This document contains a list of landowners and tenants, and the name Lantz appears several times.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Lantz. One of the earliest was Lantz von Liebenzell, a German knight who lived in the 12th century and fought in the Crusades. Another notable figure was Lantz Ämter, a 14th-century Swiss military leader who played a significant role in the Sempach War against the Habsburgs.
In the 16th century, Lantz Gamshalt was a renowned Swiss architect and builder who designed several notable structures, including the City Hall in Bern. In the 18th century, Lantz Herder was a German philosopher and literary critic, known for his influential work on the concept of nationalism.
More recently, Lantz Tsetung was a renowned Chinese military strategist and revolutionary leader who lived from 1893 to 1976. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the development of Maoism.
While the name Lantz has its roots in Germanic languages, it has also been adopted and adapted in other cultures over time. However, its original meaning and connection to the concept of land and territory remain a significant part of its historical significance.
People
Lantz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lantz as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lantz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lantz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 515 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lantz going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 665,542 US residents.
Is Lantz a common name?
We classify Lantz as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 547 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lantz most popular?
The single biggest year for Lantz was 1993, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lantz is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lantz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lantz in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.