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

Gentz, 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 Gentz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gentz in America

Gentz is the 22201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gentz surname appeared 1,162 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 Gentz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gentz 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.

The history of the last name Gentz

The surname Gentz has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of present-day northern Germany and parts of the Netherlands. The name is derived from the Germanic root word "ganz," which means "whole" or "entire," suggesting that the original bearer of the name may have been someone of good health or physical stature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gentz can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Ganz," "Gantze," and "Gentz."

During the 14th century, the name Gentz began to appear in other historical documents across northern Germany and the Netherlands. For instance, the Magdeburger Schöffenchronik, a chronicle of the city of Magdeburg, mentions a certain "Johann Gentz" who served as a magistrate in the year 1349.

The Gentz surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Hans Gentz, a German painter and engraver who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His works can be found in various museums across Europe.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Friedrich von Gentz, a German diplomat and political philosopher who played a significant role in the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815. He was born in 1764 and died in 1832.

In the realm of literature, the name Gentz is associated with the German author and critic, Gustav Gentz, who lived from 1845 to 1921. He was known for his works on literary criticism and his translations of French and English literature.

During the 20th century, one of the most notable figures with the surname Gentz was the American physicist Edward Gentz, who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II. He was born in 1900 and passed away in 1983.

Another individual of note was the German-American engineer and inventor, Albert Gentz, who held several patents related to automotive technology. He lived from 1890 to 1962 and worked for various automotive companies, including General Motors.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gentz

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

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 Gentz was:

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

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

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

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