2000
#5,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Bentz
A German occupational surname referring to a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle High German "benze".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,255 Americans carry the last name Bentz. That puts it at #6,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,797 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bentz surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,797
Census rank
#6,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,455 bearers of the surname Bentz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bentz
The surname Bentz is of Germanic origin and can be traced back to the medieval era in central Europe. It is derived from the Old High German word "benz," which referred to a type of tall, thin person. This nickname likely described someone with a slender physique and was later adopted as a hereditary surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bentz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Rhine region in Germany, where a certain "Henricus Benz" is mentioned in a document dated 1287. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 13th century in that area.
In the 14th century, the Bentz surname appeared in various forms in other parts of Germany and Switzerland, including Benz, Bentz, and Bents. For example, a "Hans Benz" is recorded in the town records of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, in 1372.
The Bentz surname has also been associated with certain place names, such as Benzheim and Benzingen in Germany. These locations may have influenced the development of the surname or been named after early bearers of the name.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Bentz include:
1. Philipp Bentz (1543-1616), a German Renaissance painter known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Johann Michael Bentz (1718-1796), a German architect and builder who designed several churches and palaces in the Baroque style.
3. Maria Bentz (1794-1867), a German novelist and poet who wrote under the pseudonym "Maria Bernstein."
4. Otto Bentz (1892-1972), a German aviator and aircraft designer who worked for companies like Junkers and Messerschmitt.
5. Hans Bentz (1903-1981), a Swiss politician and member of the National Council, the lower house of the Swiss Federal Assembly.
While the surname Bentz may have evolved and spread to various regions over time, its origins can be traced back to the Germanic-speaking areas of central Europe, where it likely originated as a descriptive nickname for a person's physical appearance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bentz
Among Census respondents with the surname Bentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bentz bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bentz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 5,032
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 162
- Two or more races2.9% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 50
- Black or African American0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bentz
Bentz appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,923
+129 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 324 places
2020
#6,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,455
-468 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,514 | 5,794 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,838 | 5,923 | 2.01 | +129 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 324 places |
| 2020 | #6,048 | 5,455 | 1.83 | -468 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 210 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bentz surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,838 | #6,048 | -3.6% |
| Count | 5,923 | 5,455 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.83 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bentz bearers went from 5,923 to 5,455 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,838 to #6,048.
FAQ
Bentz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bentz?
Name Census estimates that about 6,255 living Americans carry the surname Bentz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,797 residents.
How common is Bentz?
Bentz ranks #6,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,455 people with the surname Bentz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,255), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bentz.
Has Bentz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bentz went from 5,923 recorded bearers to 5,455. That is a decrease of 468 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,838 to #6,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Bentz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bentz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (5,032 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bentz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bentz (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bentz mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle High German "benze". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bentz (1.83 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Bentz?
You can see how many people are called Bentz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.