2000
#9,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Boltz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a cross-bow maker or archer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,421 Americans carry the last name Boltz. That puts it at #10,278 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,191 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boltz 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
3.4K
1 in 100,191
Census rank
#10,278
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,983 bearers of the surname Boltz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10278th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boltz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boltz
The surname Boltz has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "bolt," which referred to a type of archer's arrow or crossbow bolt. This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname for a maker or seller of these bolts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boltz can be found in the municipal records of the city of Nuremberg in 1382, where a certain Hans Boltz is mentioned as a resident. In the 15th century, the name also appeared in various records from the region of Saxony, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae.
The Boltz surname has seen several variations in spelling over the centuries, including Bolz, Boltze, and Bolzen. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Boltz, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1520 to 1584. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a minister in various cities in Germany.
Another notable Boltz was Hans Boltz, a German painter who lived from 1540 to 1616. He was known for his religious paintings and worked in the cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg.
In the 17th century, the Boltz name appears in connection with several place names in Germany, such as Boltzenhausen and Boltzenmühle. These place names likely derived from individuals or families with the Boltz surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.
One of the most famous bearers of the Boltz name was Johann Boltz, a German composer and organist who lived from 1648 to 1722. He served as the organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig and was a respected figure in the world of baroque music.
Another notable Boltz was Johann Gottfried Boltz, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1701 to 1768. He was a professor at the University of Leipzig and wrote extensively on topics related to theology and philosophy.
As the Boltz surname spread throughout Germany and into neighboring regions, it also found its way into various records and documents, further cementing its place in the historical record of German surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boltz
Among Census respondents with the surname Boltz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Boltz 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 Boltz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 2,698
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 114
- Two or more races3.3% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.7% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boltz
Boltz 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
#9,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,350
+112 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 426 places
2020
#10,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,983
-367 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 591 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,261 | 3,238 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,687 | 3,350 | 1.14 | +112 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 426 places |
| 2020 | #10,278 | 2,983 | 1.00 | -367 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 591 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 Boltz 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 | #9,687 | #10,278 | -6.1% |
| Count | 3,350 | 2,983 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.00 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boltz bearers went from 3,350 to 2,983 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 591 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,687 to #10,278.
FAQ
Boltz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boltz?
Name Census estimates that about 3,421 living Americans carry the surname Boltz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,191 residents.
How common is Boltz?
Boltz ranks #10,278 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,983 people with the surname Boltz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Boltz.
Has Boltz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boltz went from 3,350 recorded bearers to 2,983. That is a decrease of 367 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,687 to #10,278.
What does the Census say about the background of Boltz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boltz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Boltz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (2,698 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boltz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Boltz (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 Boltz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a cross-bow maker or archer. 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 Boltz (1.00 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 Boltz?
See how many people have the last name Boltz on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.