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

Hentz, 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 Hentz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hentz in America

Hentz is the 15499th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hentz surname appeared 1,889 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 Hentz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hentz 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 Hentz

The surname HENTZ is of German origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the old German word "Henz," which was a shortened version of the name "Heinrich," meaning "ruler of the home."

The earliest recorded instances of the HENTZ surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It was often associated with families residing in rural areas and small villages, where the name was commonly used to identify individuals based on their occupation or location.

One notable historical reference to the HENTZ name can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon (German Family Name Dictionary), which documents the name's presence in the town of Nuremberg in the late 15th century. This record suggests that the HENTZ family may have held a certain level of prominence within the local community at that time.

During the 16th century, the HENTZ surname began to spread across various parts of Europe, particularly in regions with significant German immigration. In the Netherlands, for instance, there are records of individuals bearing the name HENTZ dating back to the early 1600s.

Some notable individuals who carried the HENTZ surname throughout history include:

1. Johann Baptist Hentz (1736-1805), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Nicholas Marcellus Hentz (1797-1856), an American naturalist and entomologist who studied spiders and authored several publications on the subject.
3. Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (1800-1856), an American novelist and poet, best known for her works depicting life in the antebellum South.
4. Adolph Hentz (1820-1888), a German-born American businessman and civic leader in New Orleans, who played a significant role in the city's reconstruction efforts after the Civil War.
5. Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (1856-1935), an American educator and writer, who followed in the footsteps of her namesake and great-aunt, the novelist Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz.

While the HENTZ surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant German immigration, such as the United States and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hentz

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

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

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

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