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

Goetz, 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 Goetz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goetz in America

Goetz is the 2689th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goetz surname appeared 13,390 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Goetz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goetz 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 Goetz

The surname GOETZ has its origins in Germany, deriving from the Germanic personal name Godehard or Gotthard, composed of the elements "god" meaning "god" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy." The earliest known instances of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Germany.

The name GOETZ likely emerged as a patronymic surname, meaning it was initially used to identify individuals as the sons or descendants of someone named Godehard or Gotthard. Over time, the surname underwent various spelling variations, such as Gotz, Götz, Getz, and Getz, reflecting regional dialects and scribal preferences.

In the 13th century, records mention a knight named Gottfried Goetz who participated in the Crusades. Additionally, the Gotz family of Nuremberg, a prominent German noble family, can be traced back to the 14th century, with notable members including Hermann Gotz (1399-1475), a respected jurist and diplomat.

The 15th century saw the emergence of Johannes Goetz (1436-1500), a German humanist scholar and writer who served as the rector of the University of Leipzig. Another notable figure was Nicholas Götz (1547-1623), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to the development of Lutheran church music.

In the 16th century, the surname GOETZ appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including the Palatinate, Bavaria, and Saxony. One notable bearer was Johann Nicolaus Götz (1721-1781), a German painter and engraver renowned for his landscapes and architectural etchings.

The 19th century witnessed the prominence of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the renowned German writer, poet, and philosopher whose works profoundly influenced Western literature and thought. Although not directly related to the surname GOETZ, his name is sometimes erroneously associated with it due to its similar spelling and pronunciation.

Other notable bearers of the surname GOETZ include Hermann Götz (1865-1940), a German archaeologist and art historian known for his excavations in Cyprus, and Wolfgang Götz (1907-1990), a German politician and trade unionist who served as the Minister of Labour in East Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goetz

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

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

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

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