Find out how popular the last name Aretz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Aretz.

Aretz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Aretz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aretz in America

Aretz is the 65964th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aretz surname appeared 300 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Aretz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aretz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Aretz

The surname ARETZ originated in Germany and is believed to have derived from the German word "Arzt," meaning "physician" or "doctor." This name likely first emerged in the Middle Ages when surnames began to be adopted as hereditary family names.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this surname was Johannes Aretz, a physician who lived in the city of Cologne in the 14th century. He is mentioned in historical records from the year 1367, suggesting that the surname ARETZ had already been established by that time.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in various municipal records and documents across German-speaking regions. For example, a certain Hans Aretz is listed as a resident of the town of Augsburg in 1472, while a Peter Aretz is mentioned in a legal document from Nuremberg dated 1489.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ARETZ surname began to spread beyond Germany, appearing in regions such as the Netherlands and Switzerland. One notable individual from this period was Johann Aretz, a Protestant theologian and writer who was born in Hessen, Germany, in 1587 and died in 1653.

In the 18th century, the name ARETZ continued to be found across various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries. One individual of note was Karl Aretz, a German composer and organist who lived from 1744 to 1810 and is remembered for his contributions to sacred music.

As the centuries progressed, the ARETZ surname became increasingly widespread, and individuals bearing this name could be found in various professions and walks of life. For instance, in the 19th century, there was a German painter named Wilhelm Aretz, who was born in 1822 and died in 1899.

While the surname ARETZ is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, likely due to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the German word "Arzt" and its early usage in medieval German-speaking regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aretz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Aretz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Aretz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Aretz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Aretz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Aretz, please contact us.

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