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

Hinz, 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 Hinz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hinz in America

Hinz is the 7284th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hinz surname appeared 4,574 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hinz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hinz 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 Hinz

The surname Hinz is of German origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Hinz," which was a nickname for someone named Johannes. This nickname was commonly used in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hinz can be found in the Liber Censualis, a tax register from the late 13th century. The document mentions a certain "Henricus Hinz" from the town of Mölln in Schleswig-Holstein. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by that time.

In the 14th century, the name Hinz appeared in various records from the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and towns across northern Europe. Several merchants and traders bearing the Hinz name were involved in the lucrative trade routes of the Hanseatic League.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Hinz can be found in various town and parish records across northern Germany. For instance, a certain Hans Hinz was mentioned in the town chronicles of Lübeck in the late 15th century as a prominent citizen and councilman.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Hinz was Johann Hinz (1516-1587), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Rostock. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential theological works.

Another prominent figure with the Hinz surname was Friedrich Hinz (1805-1881), a German politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of Prussia during the mid-19th century.

In the 19th century, the name Hinz was also associated with several notable artists and writers. Karl Hinz (1867-1928) was a respected German painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, while Theodor Hinz (1876-1957) was a celebrated novelist and playwright from Hamburg.

Interestingly, the name Hinz also has a connection to some place names in northern Germany. For example, the town of Hinzert in Rhineland-Palatinate is believed to have derived its name from an earlier form of the surname Hinz.

Throughout its history, the surname Hinz has been found in various spellings, such as Hintze, Hintzen, and Hinzen, reflecting the regional variations and dialects of northern Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hinz

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

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

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

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