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

Heitz, 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 Heitz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heitz in America

Heitz is the 11118th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heitz surname appeared 2,852 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Heitz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heitz 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 Heitz

The surname Heitz has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic word "haid," which means "heath" or "heathland." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for individuals residing in or near heathlands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heitz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century. This document mentions a person named "Heinricus de Heitz" in the year 1194, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.

In the 14th century, the name Heitz appeared in various manuscripts and records across German-speaking regions. For instance, the Würzburger Lehnbuch, a ledger documenting feudal obligations in the Bishopric of Würzburg, mentions a "Johannes Heitz" in the year 1348.

The Heitz surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One prominent example is Johannes Heitz (1497-1567), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Saxony.

Another notable individual was Hans Heitz (1543-1609), a German physician and botanist who made important contributions to the study of medicinal plants. His work, "De re Rustica," published in 1590, was a influential treatise on agriculture and horticulture.

In the realm of art, Caspar Heitz (1590-1667) was a German painter and engraver known for his religious and mythological works. His engravings were widely circulated and appreciated during the Baroque period.

Moving into the 18th century, Johann Heitz (1736-1809) was a prominent German theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy. His seminal work, "Grundsätze der Kritik" (Principles of Criticism), published in 1792, explored the foundations of critical thinking and rational inquiry.

Finally, in the 19th century, Karl Heitz (1845-1914) was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of modern urban planning principles. His designs for residential and commercial buildings in cities like Frankfurt and Berlin were widely acclaimed and influential.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heitz

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

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

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

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