2000
#10,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Gantz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Ganz, meaning "whole" or "complete."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,103 Americans carry the last name Gantz. That puts it at #11,181 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gantz 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
3.1K
1 in 110,459
Census rank
#11,181
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,706 bearers of the surname Gantz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11181st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gantz
The surname Gantz is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic personal name "Ganz," which means "complete" or "whole." This name may have been given as a nickname to someone who was considered a wholesome or complete person.
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Ganz" or "Gantz." As the name spread across different regions of Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Ganz," "Gantz," and "Gantze." These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the preferences of record keepers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town of Passau, where a "Johannes Gantz" was mentioned in a document from 1312. Another notable reference comes from the city of Nuremberg, where a "Hans Gantz" was listed as a resident in 1427.
In the 15th century, a "Peter Gantz" was recorded as a merchant in the city of Augsburg, suggesting that the name was associated with trade and commerce during that time period. Additionally, a "Konrad Gantz" was mentioned in a historical record from the city of Cologne in 1489.
As the name spread throughout Germany and into neighboring regions, it became associated with various place names. For instance, the town of Gantzkow in present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, likely derived its name from the surname Gantz.
Historically, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Gantz. One such person was Johann Gantz (1592-1637), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden. Another was Johann Gantz (1763-1829), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Gantz was Georg Gantz (1818-1889), a German historian and writer who authored works on the history of the Hanseatic League and the city of Hamburg.
Another notable individual was Philipp Gantz (1856-1932), a German politician and member of the Reichstag, who represented the Social Democratic Party of Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Lastly, Theodor Gantz (1885-1952) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the early 20th century, including the Schöneberg City Hall and the Deutsches Opernhaus.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gantz
Among Census respondents with the surname Gantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gantz 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 Gantz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 2,344
- Black or African American6.5% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 82
- Two or more races2.9% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gantz
Gantz 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
#10,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,177
+350 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 283 places
2020
#11,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,706
-471 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 1,026 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,438 | 2,827 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,155 | 3,177 | 1.08 | +350 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 283 places |
| 2020 | #11,181 | 2,706 | 0.91 | -471 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 1,026 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 Gantz 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 | #10,155 | #11,181 | -10.1% |
| Count | 3,177 | 2,706 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.91 | -16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gantz bearers went from 3,177 to 2,706 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 1,026 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,155 to #11,181.
FAQ
Gantz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gantz?
Name Census estimates that about 3,103 living Americans carry the surname Gantz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,459 residents.
How common is Gantz?
Gantz ranks #11,181 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,706 people with the surname Gantz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Gantz.
Has Gantz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gantz went from 3,177 recorded bearers to 2,706. That is a decrease of 471 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,155 to #11,181.
What does the Census say about the background of Gantz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gantz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (2,344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gantz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (6.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gantz (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 Gantz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Ganz, meaning "whole" or "complete." 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 Gantz (0.91 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 surname Gantz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.