2000
#10,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,723
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Heitz
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 2,882 Americans carry the last name Heitz. That puts it at #11,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heitz 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
2.9K
1 in 118,929
Census rank
#11,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,513 bearers of the surname Heitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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earliest recorded instances of the name Heitz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Heitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Heitz 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 Heitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,325
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 79
- Two or more races2.6% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heitz
Heitz 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
#11,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,852
+129 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 365 places
2020
#11,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,513
-339 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 792 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,753 | 2,723 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,118 | 2,852 | 0.97 | +129 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 365 places |
| 2020 | #11,910 | 2,513 | 0.84 | -339 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 792 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 Heitz 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 | #11,118 | #11,910 | -7.1% |
| Count | 2,852 | 2,513 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.84 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heitz bearers went from 2,852 to 2,513 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 792 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,118 to #11,910.
FAQ
Heitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heitz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,882 living Americans carry the surname Heitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,929 residents.
How common is Heitz?
Heitz ranks #11,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,513 people with the surname Heitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,882), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Heitz.
Has Heitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heitz went from 2,852 recorded bearers to 2,513. That is a decrease of 339 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,118 to #11,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Heitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Heitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Heitz (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 Heitz 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 Heitz (0.84 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 Heitz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.