2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Hitzges
A surname of German origin referring to people from a place called Hitzges.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Hitzges. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hitzges 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Hitzges in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitzges, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hitzges
The surname HITZGES originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "hitz," which means "heat" or "hot," and the suffix "-ges," which is a diminutive form, potentially indicating a smaller or lesser degree of heat.
One of the earliest known records of the HITZGES surname can be found in the parish records of Cologne, where a Johannes Hitzges was documented in 1578. This suggests that the name may have its roots in the Rhineland region of Germany.
In the 17th century, the HITZGES name appeared in various German church records, indicating its spread across different regions. For instance, a Margaretha Hitzges was recorded in the baptismal records of Kirchheim unter Teck, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in 1631.
The surname HITZGES may have been associated with certain occupations or trades related to heat, such as blacksmithing or baking. However, there is limited evidence to confirm this definitively.
One notable individual with the HITZGES surname was Johann Hitzges, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 18th century (birth and death dates unknown). His works were primarily religious in nature, and some of his engravings can be found in the collections of various museums and galleries.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Hitzges (1834-1905), a German theologian and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church and served as a professor at the University of Bonn.
In the 19th century, the HITZGES surname appeared to have spread beyond Germany, with records indicating individuals bearing this name in neighboring countries, such as the Netherlands and Belgium.
One notable example is Hendrick Hitzges (1837-1912), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. He was born in Amsterdam and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the city.
A more recent historical figure was Karl Hitzges (1885-1945), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party. He served as the Gauleiter (regional leader) of the Gau Moselland, which encompassed parts of modern-day Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
While the HITZGES surname may not be as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and political figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hitzges
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitzges, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hitzges 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 Hitzges surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 92
- Two or more races8.8% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hitzges
Hitzges appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+13 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 13,217 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 Hitzges 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 | #159,712 | #146,495 | 8.3% |
| Count | 101 | 114 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hitzges bearers went from 101 to 114 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 13,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #146,495.
FAQ
Hitzges surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hitzges?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Hitzges. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Hitzges?
Hitzges ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Hitzges. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Hitzges.
Has Hitzges become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hitzges went from 101 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 13 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Hitzges?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hitzges, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Hitzges in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hitzges appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Two or More Races (8.8%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Hitzges (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 Hitzges mean?
A surname of German origin referring to people from a place called Hitzges. 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 Hitzges (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 surname Hitzges?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.