Denz last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Denz

An occupational surname derived from the German word "Tinker" or "Tinsmith".

Denz, 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 Denz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Denz in America

Denz is the 51396th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Denz surname appeared 405 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Denz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Denz 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 51396 49249 4.27%
Count 405 401 0.99%
Proportion per 100k 0.14 0.15 -6.90%

The history of the last name Denz

The surname DENZ is of German origin, emerging around the 16th century in the regions of Bavaria and Austria. It is derived from the Old High German word "denzen," meaning "to stretch out" or "to pull," which likely referred to a person's occupation or physical attribute.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DENZ can be found in the Bavarian town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Denz was mentioned in a legal document dated 1547. This document referred to a property dispute between Hans Denz and a neighboring landowner.

In the 17th century, the name DENZ appeared in various church records across southern Germany and Austria. Notably, a Johann Denz was born in 1635 in the village of Altötting, Bavaria, and later became a respected artisan and woodcarver. His intricate works can still be found in local churches and museums.

The name DENZ was also present in the Austrian region of Tyrol, where a family by the name of Denz owned a substantial vineyard in the town of Meran. Records from the 18th century mention a Matthias Denz, who was a prominent winemaker and merchant in the area.

In the 19th century, the DENZ surname spread further across Europe as families migrated to different regions. One notable figure was Friedrich Denz, a German composer and pianist born in 1825 in Berlin. He composed several operas and orchestral works, gaining recognition in the European musical circles of his time.

Another significant individual bearing the DENZ surname was Karl Denz, a German engineer born in 1879 in Munich. He was instrumental in the development of early automotive technologies and worked closely with the pioneering automobile manufacturer, Daimler-Benz.

Over the centuries, the DENZ name has been subject to various spellings and variations, such as Denz, Dentz, and Dentze, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic adaptations of the time. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to its German roots and the Old High German word "denzen."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Denz

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

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 Denz was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.09% 377
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.96% 12
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 2.72% 11

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 Denz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.09% 94.76% -1.78%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.96% 1.50% 65.47%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 2.72% 2.74% -0.73%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Denz last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/denz-surname-popularity/.

"Denz last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/denz-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 July, 2025

Denz last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/denz-surname-popularity/.

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