2000
#11,832
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,425
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Clontz
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "klons," meaning a clump or lump of earth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,527 Americans carry the last name Clontz. That puts it at #13,266 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,637 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clontz 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
2.5K
1 in 135,637
Census rank
#13,266
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,204 bearers of the surname Clontz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13266th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clontz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clontz
The surname Clontz has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kluntz" or "klontze," which referred to a clump or bundle. This likely indicated that the surname was initially given as a descriptive name to someone who carried or worked with bundles or clumps of materials.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Clontz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of documents from Saxony dating back to the 13th century. Here, the name appears as "Clontze" in reference to a landowner in the region.
In the 15th century, the Clontz surname began to appear more frequently in various German records, including church registers and tax rolls. Notable individuals bearing this name during this time included Hans Clontz, a merchant from Nuremberg born in 1437, and Gertrude Clontz, a landowner in Saxony whose property was documented in a deed from 1482.
As the name spread across Germany, regional variations in spelling emerged, such as Klontz, Kluntz, and Klontze. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciation patterns.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, some individuals with the Clontz surname began to migrate to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable example is Johann Clontz, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 1700s and established a successful farming community.
Among the most prominent individuals with the Clontz surname was Wilhelm Clontz, a German philosopher and writer born in 1792. His work on ethics and moral philosophy garnered significant recognition during his lifetime.
Other notable individuals include:
1. Emilia Clontz (1825-1901), a German artist known for her landscape paintings.
2. Heinrich Clontz (1860-1932), a German industrialist who founded a successful manufacturing company.
3. Karl Clontz (1877-1944), a German composer and musician who contributed to the development of early 20th-century classical music.
4. Elise Clontz (1898-1976), a German-American educator and women's rights activist who championed equal educational opportunities.
5. Theodor Clontz (1914-1992), a German scientist and engineer who made significant contributions to aerospace technology.
While the Clontz surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clontz
Among Census respondents with the surname Clontz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Clontz 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 Clontz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,059
- Two or more races3.2% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clontz
Clontz 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
#12,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,565
+140 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 316 places
2020
#13,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,204
-361 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,832 | 2,425 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,148 | 2,565 | 0.87 | +140 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 316 places |
| 2020 | #13,266 | 2,204 | 0.74 | -361 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 1,118 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 Clontz 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 | #12,148 | #13,266 | -9.2% |
| Count | 2,565 | 2,204 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.74 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clontz bearers went from 2,565 to 2,204 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 1,118 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,148 to #13,266.
FAQ
Clontz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clontz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,527 living Americans carry the surname Clontz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,637 residents.
How common is Clontz?
Clontz ranks #13,266 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,204 people with the surname Clontz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,527), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Clontz.
Has Clontz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clontz went from 2,565 recorded bearers to 2,204. That is a decrease of 361 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,148 to #13,266.
What does the Census say about the background of Clontz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clontz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Clontz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clontz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Clontz (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 Clontz mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "klons," meaning a clump or lump of earth. 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 Clontz (0.74 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 share the surname Clontz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.