2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Keintz
A German surname meaning "someone from the village of Kintzheim".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Keintz. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keintz 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Keintz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keintz
The surname Keintz is believed to have originated in the southwest region of Germany, particularly in the areas around modern-day Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It is thought to have emerged sometime during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.
The name Keintz is likely derived from an Old German or Middle High German word, possibly a variant of the word "Kienitz" or "Kinitz," which referred to a type of pine tree or a place where pine trees grew abundantly. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname, given to someone who lived near or worked with pine trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keintz can be found in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the region of Württemberg, dating back to the 15th century. However, it is possible that the name existed even earlier, as many medieval records have been lost or poorly preserved.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the surname Keintz, one of the earliest recorded was Hans Keintz, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Möckmühl, near Heilbronn, in the late 15th century. Another early reference comes from the town of Biberach, where a merchant named Konrad Keintz was mentioned in a document from the year 1512.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Keintz began to spread beyond its original region, with individuals bearing the name appearing in various parts of Germany and neighboring countries. One notable figure was Johann Keintz (1571-1636), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen.
In the 18th century, a family of artisans and craftsmen with the surname Keintz resided in the city of Ulm, where they were known for their skilled woodworking and furniture-making. One member of this family, Georg Keintz (1720-1789), gained some renown for his intricate carvings and woodwork decorations.
As the name continued to spread and evolve over time, different spelling variations emerged, such as Keints, Keinz, and Keintz. Some branches of the family may have adopted these alternate spellings or had them imposed by local record-keepers or officials.
While the surname Keintz may not be among the most common or well-known today, it has a rich history rooted in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with its origins likely tied to the pine forests and woodlands of the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keintz
Among Census respondents with the surname Keintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Keintz 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 Keintz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 106
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keintz
Keintz 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,400 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,400 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Keintz 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keintz bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Keintz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keintz?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Keintz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Keintz?
Keintz ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Keintz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Keintz.
Has Keintz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keintz went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Keintz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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 Keintz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keintz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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 Keintz (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 Keintz mean?
A German surname meaning "someone from the village of Kintzheim". 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 Keintz (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 are called Keintz?
See how many people have the last name Keintz on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.