2000
#7,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,867
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Hartz
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone who lived near a forest or wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,551 Americans carry the last name Hartz. That puts it at #8,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,314 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartz 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
4.6K
1 in 75,314
Census rank
#8,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,969 bearers of the surname Hartz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartz
The surname HARTZ is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Harz, a mountainous area located in central Germany. The name is derived from the toponym "Harz," which itself is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "hart," meaning "hard" or "rocky," referring to the rugged terrain of the Harz Mountains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HARTZ can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various medieval records and documents from the Harz region. During this period, the name was often spelled in different variations, such as Hartz, Harz, Hartze, and Hartzen, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.
In the 14th century, the name HARTZ appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the principality of Anhalt, which encompassed parts of the Harz Mountains. This document mentions several individuals with the surname HARTZ, suggesting that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
One notable individual with the surname HARTZ was Johannes Hartz (c. 1450-1520), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a follower of Martin Luther and worked closely with him in spreading the Reformation ideals throughout Germany.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Hartz (1794-1859), a German botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of South America. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Brazil and is credited with discovering several new plant species.
In the 19th century, the HARTZ surname gained further recognition with the birth of Eduard Hartz (1830-1883), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Hartz Mountain Corporation, a leading manufacturer of pet products. The company's name was derived from his surname and the Harz Mountains, where it was originally based.
The HARTZ surname also has connections to the Harz region's rich mining history. In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Hans Hartz (c. 1525-1590) was a skilled miner and mine operator in the Harz Mountains. His contributions to the local mining industry earned him a respected reputation in the region.
Throughout history, the HARTZ surname has been associated with various places and locations derived from the Harz Mountains, such as Hartzenbusch, Hartzburg, and Hartzgerode, further reflecting the name's strong ties to the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartz
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartz 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 Hartz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 3,683
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 117
- Two or more races1.9% · 76
- Black or African American1.8% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartz
Hartz 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
#7,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,153
+286 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#8,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,969
-184 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,933 | 3,867 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,966 | 4,153 | 1.41 | +286 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #8,007 | 3,969 | 1.33 | -184 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 41 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 Hartz 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 | #7,966 | #8,007 | -0.5% |
| Count | 4,153 | 3,969 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.33 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartz bearers went from 4,153 to 3,969 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,966 to #8,007.
FAQ
Hartz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,551 living Americans carry the surname Hartz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,314 residents.
How common is Hartz?
Hartz ranks #8,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,969 people with the surname Hartz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,551), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hartz.
Has Hartz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartz went from 4,153 recorded bearers to 3,969. That is a decrease of 184 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,966 to #8,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Hartz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (3,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Hartz (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 Hartz mean?
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone who lived near a forest or wooded area. 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 Hartz (1.33 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 Hartz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Hartz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.