2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Erz
An Anglicized spelling of the German occupational surname for a miner or ore worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Erz. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erz 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Erz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erz
The surname "ERZ" is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the medieval period around the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "erz," meaning "ore" or "metal," suggesting that the name may have been associated with occupations related to mining or metalworking.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "ERZ" can be found in the Codex Laureshamensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Lorsch Abbey in present-day Hesse, Germany. This document mentions an individual named "Erzio de Meinfeldia," indicating that the name was present in the region during that time.
The name "ERZ" also appears in various municipal records from the 14th and 15th centuries, particularly in regions known for mining activities, such as the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) along the border between Saxony and Bohemia. The town of Erzgebirgskreis, for instance, was named after the rich deposits of ore found in the area.
Notable individuals with the surname "ERZ" throughout history include:
1. Johannes Erz (c. 1500-1565), a German composer and organist from Saxony, known for his contributions to the development of the Protestant church music.
2. Michael Erz (1652-1725), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg, known for his religious paintings and engravings.
3. Christoph Erz (1726-1796), a German architect and builder from Bamberg, who designed several churches and buildings in the Baroque style.
4. Friedrich Erz (1821-1892), a German politician and lawyer from Saxony, who served as a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament) in the late 19th century.
5. Karl Erz (1873-1945), a German architect and urban planner from Cologne, known for his influential urban planning projects in the early 20th century.
While the surname "ERZ" is not as common today as it once was, its historical roots can be traced back to the mining and metalworking industries of medieval Germany, where it likely originated as an occupational surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erz
Among Census respondents with the surname Erz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Erz 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 Erz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 100
- Two or more races8.5% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erz
Erz 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,393 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 2,393 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 362 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 Erz 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 | #143,149 | #143,511 | -0.3% |
| Count | 116 | 118 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erz bearers went from 116 to 118 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #143,511.
FAQ
Erz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erz?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Erz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Erz?
Erz ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Erz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Erz.
Has Erz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erz went from 116 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Erz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Erz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Two or More Races (8.5%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Erz (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 Erz mean?
An Anglicized spelling of the German occupational surname for a miner or ore worker. 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 Erz (0.04 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 Erz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Erz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.