2000
#2,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.00
Uncommon Last name
Goetz
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a goatherd or someone who kept goats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,724 Americans carry the last name Goetz. That puts it at #2,733 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,279 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goetz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Goetz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,279
Census rank
#2,733
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,840 bearers of the surname Goetz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2733rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goetz
Among Census respondents with the surname Goetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Goetz 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 Goetz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 11,836
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 428
- Two or more races2.8% · 358
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 67
- Black or African American0.3% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goetz
Goetz 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
#2,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,390
-105 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 4.54
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#2,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,840
-550 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 4.30
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,456 | 13,495 | 5.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,689 | 13,390 | 4.54 | -105 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #2,733 | 12,840 | 4.30 | -550 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 44 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 Goetz 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 | #2,689 | #2,733 | -1.6% |
| Count | 13,390 | 12,840 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.54 | 4.30 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goetz bearers went from 13,390 to 12,840 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,689 to #2,733.
FAQ
Goetz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goetz?
Name Census estimates that about 14,724 living Americans carry the surname Goetz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,279 residents.
How common is Goetz?
Goetz ranks #2,733 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,840 people with the surname Goetz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,724), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Goetz.
Has Goetz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goetz went from 13,390 recorded bearers to 12,840. That is a decrease of 550 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,689 to #2,733.
What does the Census say about the background of Goetz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Goetz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (11,836 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goetz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Goetz (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 Goetz mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a goatherd or someone who kept goats. 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 Goetz (4.30 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 Goetz?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Goetz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.