2000
#5,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Hartzell
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "hartschelle," meaning a loud or resounding clap.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,109 Americans carry the last name Hartzell. That puts it at #5,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,214 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartzell 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
7.1K
1 in 48,214
Census rank
#5,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,199 bearers of the surname Hartzell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartzell
The surname Hartzell has its origins in Germany, where it emerged as an occupational name during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "hartz," meaning "resin" or "pitch," combined with the suffix "-el," which indicates a location or a diminutive form. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a resin-producing area or worked with resin-related products.
One of the earliest known records of the name Hartzell dates back to the 14th century, where it appears in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the region of Württemberg in southwestern Germany. The name is documented as "Hartzeller" in this text, indicating a slight variation in its spelling.
As the Hartzell family spread across Europe, the name took on various spellings, such as Hartzel, Härtzell, and Hartzelle. Some of these variations reflected regional linguistic differences or adaptations to local dialects.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the Hartzell name was Johannes Hartzel, a German theologian and reformer born in 1516. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement and published several works on religious topics.
Another historical figure associated with the Hartzell surname was Georg Hartzell, a German artist born in 1677. He was renowned for his intricate wood carvings and became a member of the prestigious Nuremberg Guild of Sculptors.
Crossing the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Hartzell name in North America can be found in the Pennsylvania Dutch settlements of the 18th century. Johann Michael Hartzell, born in 1724, was among the first Hartzell immigrants to arrive in the American colonies from Germany.
In the 19th century, a prominent Hartzell was Jacob Hartzell, a German-American businessman and philanthropist born in 1824. He made his fortune in the steel industry and donated generously to educational institutions and charitable causes.
Lastly, mention should be made of Elijah Hartzell, an American Civil War veteran and politician born in 1841. He served as a Union soldier during the conflict and later became a member of the Iowa State Senate, representing Tama County.
The Hartzell surname, with its rich history and connections to various regions, occupations, and notable individuals, has left an indelible mark on the tapestry of family names across the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartzell
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartzell 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 Hartzell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 5,786
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 170
- Two or more races2.7% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartzell
Hartzell 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
#5,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,494
+105 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#5,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,199
-295 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,039 | 6,389 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,361 | 6,494 | 2.20 | +105 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #5,434 | 6,199 | 2.07 | -295 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 73 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 Hartzell 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 | #5,361 | #5,434 | -1.4% |
| Count | 6,494 | 6,199 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.20 | 2.07 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartzell bearers went from 6,494 to 6,199 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,361 to #5,434.
FAQ
Hartzell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartzell?
Name Census estimates that about 7,109 living Americans carry the surname Hartzell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,214 residents.
How common is Hartzell?
Hartzell ranks #5,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,199 people with the surname Hartzell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hartzell.
Has Hartzell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartzell went from 6,494 recorded bearers to 6,199. That is a decrease of 295 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,361 to #5,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartzell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hartzell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (5,786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartzell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hartzell (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 Hartzell mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "hartschelle," meaning a loud or resounding clap. 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 Hartzell (2.07 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 Hartzell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.