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

Goltz, 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 Goltz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goltz in America

Goltz is the 20709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goltz surname appeared 1,277 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 Goltz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goltz 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 Goltz

The surname Goltz originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "golz," which referred to a small, marshy stream or a ditch. This name likely emerged as a topographic name, given to individuals residing near such geographical features.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Goltz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the late 14th century. Here, the name appears as "Golcze," reflecting the phonetic spelling common during that era.

In the 15th century, the Goltz family gained prominence in the region of Pomerania, located along the southern Baltic coast. Prominent members included Hans von Goltz (1428-1495), a knight and vassal of the Dukes of Pomerania, and his son, Caspar von Goltz (1455-1521), who served as a military commander and diplomat.

As the name spread across German territories, its spelling evolved, with variations such as Golz, Goltze, and Goltsch emerging in different regions. In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the Duchy of Prussia, where Christoph von Goltz (1520-1592) was a notable statesman and diplomat.

The 17th century saw the rise of another prominent figure, Joachim Rudolph von Goltz (1631-1701), a Prussian field marshal who played a significant role in the Great Northern War against Sweden. His military exploits earned him the nickname "the Lion of Goltz."

In the 19th century, the name Goltz gained international recognition through the life of Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz (1843-1916), a Prussian field marshal who served as a military adviser to the Ottoman Empire and authored influential works on military strategy.

Other notable individuals with the surname Goltz include the German physicist Georg Goltz (1825-1897), known for his contributions to the field of electromagnetism, and the American journalist and author Grace Goltz (1919-2007), who wrote extensively about her experiences as a war correspondent during World War II.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goltz

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

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

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

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