2000
#5,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Benz
A German surname derived from the given name Benedict, meaning "blessed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,548 Americans carry the last name Benz. That puts it at #5,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,345 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Benz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,345
Census rank
#5,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,710 bearers of the surname Benz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benz
Among Census respondents with the surname Benz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Benz 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 Benz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 5,149
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 232
- Two or more races3.1% · 178
- Black or African American1.3% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benz
Benz 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
#6,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,691
+127 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 324 places
2020
#5,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,710
+19 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Up 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,714 | 5,564 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,038 | 5,691 | 1.93 | +127 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 324 places |
| 2020 | #5,837 | 5,710 | 1.91 | +19 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 201 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 Benz 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 | #6,038 | #5,837 | 3.3% |
| Count | 5,691 | 5,710 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.91 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benz bearers went from 5,691 to 5,710 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,038 to #5,837.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Benz
FAQ
Benz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benz?
Name Census estimates that about 6,548 living Americans carry the surname Benz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,345 residents.
How common is Benz?
Benz ranks #5,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 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 5,710 people with the surname Benz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 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 Benz.
Has Benz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benz went from 5,691 recorded bearers to 5,710. That is an increase of 19 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,038 to #5,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Benz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Benz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (5,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Benz (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 Benz mean?
A German surname derived from the given name Benedict, meaning "blessed." 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 Benz (1.91 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 many people have the last name Benz?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Benz is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.