2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Herklotz
A surname derived from the German words "Herr" meaning lord and "Klotz" meaning log or block.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Herklotz. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herklotz 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Herklotz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herklotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herklotz
The surname HERKLOTZ originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "Herr" meaning "lord" or "master" and "Klotz" meaning "log" or "block of wood." This suggests the name may have been given to a master woodworker or carpenter.
The earliest recorded instances of the name HERKLOTZ can be found in historical records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. In the 1500s, variations such as "Herrklotz" and "Herrclotz" appeared in municipal records and church registries in these areas.
One notable early bearer of the name was Hans Herklotz, a woodcarver from Nuremberg who lived from 1520 to 1577. His intricate wood carvings adorned churches and noble households throughout southern Germany.
In the 17th century, the name HERKLOTZ appears in the records of the Thirty Years' War, with a soldier named Johann Herklotz serving in the Imperial Army from 1638 to 1648.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, it also took on variations based on local dialects and spelling conventions. In the 18th century, records show the spelling "Herkloz" in parts of Saxony and Thuringia.
A prominent figure bearing the name was Karl Herklotz, a philosopher and professor at the University of Leipzig who lived from 1782 to 1849. His writings on ethics and aesthetics influenced many scholars of his time.
Another notable HERKLOTZ was Margarethe Herklotz, a celebrated soprano who graced the stages of major opera houses in Vienna and Berlin in the late 19th century, born in 1851 and passing away in 1923.
In the 20th century, the name HERKLOTZ continued to appear in various regions of Germany, as well as among German immigrant communities in countries like the United States and Canada. One example is Wilhelm Herklotz, a German-American engineer who played a role in the development of early aerospace technology, born in 1894 and passing away in 1976.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herklotz
Among Census respondents with the surname Herklotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Herklotz 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 Herklotz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herklotz
Herklotz 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-13 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,213 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-13 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 17,213 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 13,649 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 Herklotz 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 | #131,379 | #145,028 | -10.4% |
| Count | 129 | 116 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herklotz bearers went from 129 to 116 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 13,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #145,028.
FAQ
Herklotz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herklotz?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Herklotz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Herklotz?
Herklotz ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Herklotz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Herklotz.
Has Herklotz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herklotz went from 129 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Herklotz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herklotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (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 Herklotz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herklotz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Black (2.6%), Hispanic (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 Herklotz (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 Herklotz mean?
A surname derived from the German words "Herr" meaning lord and "Klotz" meaning log or block. 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 Herklotz (0.04 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 last name Herklotz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Herklotz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.