2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Glotz
A German surname derived from the word "glotzen" meaning "to stare" or "to gape".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Glotz. 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 Glotz 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 Glotz 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 Glotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glotz
The surname Glotz has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "glotzen," which means "to stare" or "to gaze." This suggests that the name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone who was known for their intense or curious gaze.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Heidelberg manuscript from 1295, which mentions a "Johannes Glotz" among its entries. This document provides evidence that the name was already in use in the region around Heidelberg during the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records from the Palatinate region of Germany. For example, a "Hans Glotz" was recorded as living in Heidelberg in 1532. Similarly, a "Jörg Glotz" was mentioned in the town records of Mannheim in 1547.
As the name spread throughout Germany, it also began to appear in different spellings and variations. Some of these include "Glotz," "Glotz," "Glotze," and "Glotzen." These variations likely arose due to regional differences in pronunciation and dialect.
One notable individual with the surname Glotz was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the renowned German writer and statesman. Although not directly related to the Glotz family, Goethe's mother's maiden name was Glotz, suggesting a distant connection to the name's lineage.
Another individual of note was Karl Glotz (1888-1936), a German historian and archaeologist who specialized in ancient Greek history. He was a prominent scholar at the University of Leipzig and authored several influential works on Greek culture and society.
In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with the filmmaker Herbert Glotz (1912-1998), who directed several successful German films in the 1950s and 1960s, including "The Trapp Family" and "The Monastery's Hunter."
While the surname Glotz may not be as common as some other German names, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the Middle Ages. Its unique meaning and connection to the German language have helped to preserve its identity over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glotz
Among Census respondents with the surname Glotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Glotz 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 Glotz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glotz
Glotz 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+20 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,916 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-13 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 8,916 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 13,686 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 Glotz 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 | #129,825 | #143,511 | -10.5% |
| Count | 131 | 118 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glotz bearers went from 131 to 118 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 13,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #143,511.
FAQ
Glotz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glotz?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Glotz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Glotz?
Glotz 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 Glotz. 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 Glotz.
Has Glotz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glotz went from 131 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Glotz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Glotz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glotz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Glotz (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 Glotz mean?
A German surname derived from the word "glotzen" meaning "to stare" or "to gape". 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 Glotz (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 many people have the surname Glotz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.