2000
#10,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,890
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Hartzog
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near a deer enclosure or game preserve.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,237 Americans carry the last name Hartzog. That puts it at #10,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,886 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartzog 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
3.2K
1 in 105,886
Census rank
#10,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,823 bearers of the surname Hartzog in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartzog, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartzog
The surname Hartzog is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "hart" meaning "hardy" or "brave" and "zog" meaning "leader" or "duke." Together, the name likely referred to a brave or hardy leader or military commander.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hartzog appears in a manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a nobleman named Heinrich Hartzog who fought in the Crusades. Another early reference is found in a 14th century text that details the exploits of a knight named Konrad Hartzog during the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, the Hartzog surname began to appear in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. During this time, the name may have been associated with certain place names, such as Hartzhausen or Hartzheim, though the exact connections are unclear.
One notable individual with the Hartzog surname was Johann Hartzog (1570-1642), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Another was Heinrich Hartzog (1632-1701), a German composer and organist who served at several churches in Saxony.
In the 18th century, the Hartzog name spread to other parts of Europe, with some families emigrating to the United States and other parts of the Americas. One early American bearer of the name was Johann Hartzog (1725-1798), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the Hartzog surname include Friedrich Hartzog (1820-1891), a German industrialist and pioneer in the steel industry, and Wilhelm Hartzog (1876-1945), a German military officer who served in both World Wars.
Throughout its history, the Hartzog surname has maintained its associations with bravery, leadership, and military service, reflecting its origins as a name borne by hardy commanders and nobles in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartzog
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartzog, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartzog 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 Hartzog surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 2,182
- Black or African American15.6% · 439
- Two or more races3.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartzog
Hartzog 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
#10,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,031
+141 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 343 places
2020
#10,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,823
-208 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,234 | 2,890 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,577 | 3,031 | 1.03 | +141 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 343 places |
| 2020 | #10,795 | 2,823 | 0.94 | -208 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 218 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 Hartzog 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 | #10,577 | #10,795 | -2.1% |
| Count | 3,031 | 2,823 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.94 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartzog bearers went from 3,031 to 2,823 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 218 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,577 to #10,795.
FAQ
Hartzog surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartzog?
Name Census estimates that about 3,237 living Americans carry the surname Hartzog. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,886 residents.
How common is Hartzog?
Hartzog ranks #10,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,823 people with the surname Hartzog. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Hartzog.
Has Hartzog become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartzog went from 3,031 recorded bearers to 2,823. That is a decrease of 208 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,577 to #10,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartzog?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartzog, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hartzog in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (2,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartzog appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Black (15.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hartzog (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 Hartzog mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near a deer enclosure or game preserve. 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 Hartzog (0.94 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 Hartzog?
See how common the surname Hartzog is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.