2000
#10,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,906
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Jantz
A German nickname derived from Johannes or Johan, meaning "God is gracious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,343 Americans carry the last name Jantz. That puts it at #10,501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jantz 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
3.3K
1 in 102,529
Census rank
#10,501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,915 bearers of the surname Jantz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jantz
The surname Jantz originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Johannes, which in turn came from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jantz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of medieval documents from the principality of Anhalt in central Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named Henricus Jantz is mentioned in relation to a land transaction.
The name Jantz is also found in various other historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Hessisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the region of Hesse, Germany. Several variations of the name, like Jantz, Jantze, and Jäntz, can be found in these records, reflecting the regional differences in spelling and pronunciation.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Jantz was Johannes Jantz, a German theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century (c. 1515 - 1588). He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and played a key role in the spread of Lutheran teachings in central Germany.
Another significant individual with the Jantz surname was Johann Jantz (1658 - 1717), a German mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the study of comets and planetary orbits. He was a member of the prestigious Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Jantz (1836 - 1917) was a notable German architect and urban planner. He designed several important buildings in Berlin and was influential in shaping the city's urban development during the late 19th century.
The name Jantz can also be found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with historical ties to the German-speaking regions. For instance, in the Czech Republic, the surname Jantzek is thought to be a variation of the German Jantz, reflecting the influence of German settlers in the region.
Throughout history, the Jantz surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including academics, clergymen, artisans, and merchants. The name has also been linked to several place names, such as Jantzick in Silesia (now part of Poland), which may have influenced the formation of certain variations of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jantz
Among Census respondents with the surname Jantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jantz 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 Jantz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,724
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 90
- Two or more races2.5% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jantz
Jantz 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
#10,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,005
+99 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 461 places
2020
#10,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,915
-90 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,186 | 2,906 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,647 | 3,005 | 1.02 | +99 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 461 places |
| 2020 | #10,501 | 2,915 | 0.98 | -90 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 146 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 Jantz 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 | #10,647 | #10,501 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,005 | 2,915 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.98 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jantz bearers went from 3,005 to 2,915 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,647 to #10,501.
FAQ
Jantz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jantz?
Name Census estimates that about 3,343 living Americans carry the surname Jantz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,529 residents.
How common is Jantz?
Jantz ranks #10,501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,915 people with the surname Jantz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Jantz.
Has Jantz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jantz went from 3,005 recorded bearers to 2,915. That is a decrease of 90 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,647 to #10,501.
What does the Census say about the background of Jantz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Jantz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,724 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jantz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Jantz (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 Jantz mean?
A German nickname derived from Johannes or Johan, meaning "God is gracious." 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 Jantz (0.98 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 common is the surname Jantz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Jantz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.