2000
#15,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Hintze
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "behind the oak trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,117 Americans carry the last name Hintze. That puts it at #15,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hintze 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
2.1K
1 in 161,906
Census rank
#15,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,846 bearers of the surname Hintze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hintze, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hintze
The surname HINTZE is of German origin, and it first appeared in the 13th century in the region of Brandenburg, Prussia. The name is derived from the Low German word "hinte," which means "behind" or "beyond," suggesting that the original bearer of the name may have lived near or behind a particular geographical feature.
In the Middle Ages, the name HINTZE was often spelled as "Hintze" or "Hinze," and it appeared in various historical records from that period, including church registers and tax rolls. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Brandenburg Matriculation Registers of 1375, where a certain "Hinrico Hintze" is mentioned.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the HINTZE surname became more widespread throughout Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony, Silesia, and Pomerania. Several prominent individuals bearing the name emerged during this time, such as Johann Hintze (1573-1616), a Lutheran theologian and author from Lübeck.
In the 18th century, the HINTZE name gained further prominence with the birth of Karl Gustav Hintze (1722-1798), a Prussian jurist and legal scholar who served as a privy councillor to King Frederick the Great. Another notable figure was Paul von Hintze (1864-1941), a German diplomat and statesman who served as Foreign Minister of Germany from 1918 to 1919.
In the 19th century, the HINTZE surname was associated with several notable academics and scientists, including Otto Hintze (1849-1940), a prominent German historian and sociologist who made significant contributions to the study of historical methodology. Another individual of note was Friedrich Hintze (1851-1923), a German chemist and mineralogist who discovered the mineral "hintzeite," which was named in his honor.
Throughout history, the HINTZE surname has also been carried by various artists, writers, and musicians, such as Max Hintze (1907-1986), a German composer and conductor who composed numerous works for orchestra and chamber ensembles. Additionally, there have been several military figures with the HINTZE surname, including Erich Hintze (1900-1981), a German Army officer who served during World War II and later became a prominent businessman.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hintze
Among Census respondents with the surname Hintze, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hintze 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 Hintze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,705
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 84
- Two or more races2.2% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hintze
Hintze 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
#15,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,825
+97 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 383 places
2020
#15,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,846
+21 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,539 | 1,728 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,922 | 1,825 | 0.62 | +97 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 383 places |
| 2020 | #15,307 | 1,846 | 0.62 | +21 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 615 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 Hintze 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 | #15,922 | #15,307 | 3.9% |
| Count | 1,825 | 1,846 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.62 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hintze bearers went from 1,825 to 1,846 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 615 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,922 to #15,307.
FAQ
Hintze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hintze?
Name Census estimates that about 2,117 living Americans carry the surname Hintze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,906 residents.
How common is Hintze?
Hintze ranks #15,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,846 people with the surname Hintze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Hintze.
Has Hintze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hintze went from 1,825 recorded bearers to 1,846. That is an increase of 21 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,922 to #15,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Hintze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hintze, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hintze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,705 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hintze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hintze (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 Hintze mean?
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "behind the oak trees." 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 Hintze (0.62 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 share the surname Hintze?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.