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

Benz, 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 Benz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benz in America

Benz is the 6038th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benz surname appeared 5,691 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Benz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benz 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 Benz

The surname Benz is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Bentz" or "Benz", which was a nickname derived from the personal name Benedikt or Bernhard. This nickname likely referred to someone who was blessed or prosperous.

The earliest recorded instances of the Benz surname can be found in various German church records and tax rolls from the 1500s and 1600s, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Hans Benz, who was documented in a tax record in Nuremberg in 1568, and Jakob Benz, whose name appeared in a church register in Stuttgart in 1612.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Benz surname began to spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. One notable individual from this time period was Johann Benz (1654-1719), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Heidelberg.

During the 19th century, the Benz surname became more widely dispersed across Europe and beyond, as many German immigrants sought new opportunities in other parts of the world. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Karl Benz (1844-1929), the pioneering German automobile engineer who is credited with inventing the modern gasoline-powered automobile in 1886. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen is considered the first practical, modern automobile.

Other notable individuals with the Benz surname include Hans Benz (1887-1972), a Swiss architect and urban planner; Ernst Benz (1907-1978), a German composer and conductor; and Marianne Benz (1914-1992), a German actress who appeared in numerous films and television productions throughout her career.

While the Benz surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to many other countries and cultures, carried by generations of immigrants and their descendants. Despite its widespread distribution, the name remains firmly connected to its German heritage and the legacy of innovation and achievement embodied by individuals like Karl Benz.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benz

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

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 Benz 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 Benz 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 Benz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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