2000
#6,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,711
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Hinz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a pet form of the personal name Heinrich or Henry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,095 Americans carry the last name Hinz. That puts it at #7,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinz 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
5.1K
1 in 67,273
Census rank
#7,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,443 bearers of the surname Hinz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinz
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinz 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 Hinz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 4,173
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 105
- Two or more races2.3% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinz
Hinz 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
#7,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,574
-137 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 659 places
2020
#7,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,443
-131 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,625 | 4,711 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,284 | 4,574 | 1.55 | -137 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 659 places |
| 2020 | #7,243 | 4,443 | 1.49 | -131 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 41 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 Hinz 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 | #7,284 | #7,243 | 0.6% |
| Count | 4,574 | 4,443 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.49 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinz bearers went from 4,574 to 4,443 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,284 to #7,243.
FAQ
Hinz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinz?
Name Census estimates that about 5,095 living Americans carry the surname Hinz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,273 residents.
How common is Hinz?
Hinz ranks #7,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,443 people with the surname Hinz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,095), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Hinz.
Has Hinz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinz went from 4,574 recorded bearers to 4,443. That is a decrease of 131 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,284 to #7,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Hinz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (4,173 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Hinz (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 Hinz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a pet form of the personal name Heinrich or Henry. 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 Hinz (1.49 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 Hinz?
Find out how many people have the surname Hinz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.