2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Latzer
Latzer is a habitational name referring to someone from a town or village named Latzen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Latzer. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Latzer 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Latzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Latzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Latzer
The surname Latzer is of German origin and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "latz," which means "clumsy" or "clumsy person." The name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a clumsy or awkward demeanor.
The earliest known record of the name Latzer appears in the town of Augsburg, located in the German state of Bavaria. In a document dated 1437, a man named Hans Latzer is mentioned as a resident of the town. This document provides valuable insight into the name's origins and its early use in the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Latzer surname began to spread across various parts of Germany. In 1586, a record from the city of Nuremberg mentions a family by the name of Latzer. Similarly, in 1612, a man named Johannes Latzer is recorded as living in the town of Merseburg, located in the modern-day state of Saxony-Anhalt.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the Latzer surname was Johann Latzer, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1563 in Wittenberg. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg, where he taught philosophy and theology.
Another noteworthy individual was Friedrich Latzer, a German painter and engraver born in 1672 in Nuremberg. He was known for his intricate etchings and engravings, which depicted various scenes from daily life and religious subjects.
In the 19th century, the Latzer surname gained recognition through the works of Karl Latzer, a German novelist and poet born in 1834 in Berlin. His most notable works include "Die Kinder der Welt" (The Children of the World) and "Neue Lieder" (New Songs), both of which explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
The name Latzer has also been associated with several place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Latzendorf, located in the state of Saxony, is believed to have derived its name from the Latzer surname, indicating a possible connection between the name and the area.
Throughout history, the surname Latzer has been recorded with various spellings, such as Latzer, Latzar, Latzner, and Latzner. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and local pronunciation differences within Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Latzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Latzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Latzer 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 Latzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 96
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Latzer
Latzer 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,639 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,639 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 4,195 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 Latzer 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 | #149,395 | #153,590 | -2.8% |
| Count | 110 | 104 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Latzer bearers went from 110 to 104 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 4,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #153,590.
FAQ
Latzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Latzer?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Latzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Latzer?
Latzer ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Latzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Latzer.
Has Latzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Latzer went from 110 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Latzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Latzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Latzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Latzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Latzer (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 Latzer mean?
Latzer is a habitational name referring to someone from a town or village named Latzen. 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 Latzer (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Latzer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.