2000
#13,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Houtz
Derived from the German word "holz," referring to someone who lived near or worked in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,354 Americans carry the last name Houtz. That puts it at #14,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Houtz 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
2.4K
1 in 145,605
Census rank
#14,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,053 bearers of the surname Houtz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Houtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Houtz
The surname Houtz has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "holt," meaning "wood" or "forest," suggesting that the name may have originated from those who lived near or worked in wooded areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Heilbronn, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. In these records, a man named Hans Houtz was mentioned in 1598, indicating that the name was already established in the region by that time.
As the surname spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Holtz, Houltz, and Houtze. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciation differences.
In the 17th century, the Houtz surname appeared in historical documents from the Palatinate region of Germany, which was a significant source of German immigration to Pennsylvania and other parts of the American colonies. Johann Houtz, born in 1655, was among the earliest recorded individuals with this surname to settle in the New World.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Christian Houtz (1738-1807) emerged as a prominent Lutheran minister and one of the founders of the Lutheran Synod of Pennsylvania. His contributions to the religious landscape of the time further cemented the presence of the Houtz name in American history.
Another individual of note was Johann Georg Houtz (1763-1848), a German-born American farmer and pioneer who settled in Ohio in the early 19th century. His descendants played a significant role in the development of the agricultural communities in the region.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Houtz surname continued to spread across various parts of the United States, with notable individuals such as Joseph Houtz (1816-1893), a successful businessman and landowner in Pennsylvania, and William H. Houtz (1867-1934), a respected educator and school administrator in Ohio.
While the Houtz surname may have originated from humble beginnings in the forests of Germany, its legacy has been woven into the tapestry of American history, with individuals from this lineage leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural diversity of the nation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Houtz
Among Census respondents with the surname Houtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Houtz 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 Houtz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,903
- Two or more races3.5% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Houtz
Houtz 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
#13,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
+24 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 836 places
2020
#14,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,053
-118 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,075 | 2,147 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,911 | 2,171 | 0.74 | +24 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 836 places |
| 2020 | #14,055 | 2,053 | 0.69 | -118 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 144 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 Houtz 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 | #13,911 | #14,055 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,171 | 2,053 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.69 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Houtz bearers went from 2,171 to 2,053 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,911 to #14,055.
FAQ
Houtz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Houtz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,354 living Americans carry the surname Houtz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,605 residents.
How common is Houtz?
Houtz ranks #14,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,053 people with the surname Houtz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Houtz.
Has Houtz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Houtz went from 2,171 recorded bearers to 2,053. That is a decrease of 118 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,911 to #14,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Houtz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Houtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (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 Houtz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Houtz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (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 Houtz (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 Houtz mean?
Derived from the German word "holz," referring to someone who lived near or worked in a forest. 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 Houtz (0.69 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 Houtz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.