2000
#14,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Lintz
Derived from a place name referring to a settlement near a wood, grove, or boundary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,265 Americans carry the last name Lintz. That puts it at #14,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lintz 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
2.3K
1 in 151,326
Census rank
#14,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,975 bearers of the surname Lintz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lintz
The surname Lintz has its origins in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, particularly in the areas that now make up modern-day Germany and Austria. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, perhaps as early as the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lintz can be found in the records of the town of Linz, located in Upper Austria. It is possible that the surname was originally derived from this place name, which itself is thought to have roots in the Bavarian dialect word "lind" meaning "linden tree" or "lime tree."
In the 14th century, a record exists of a certain Johannes Lintz, a merchant and landowner from the German city of Nuremberg. This may be one of the earliest documented instances of the surname in its modern spelling.
The name Lintz also appears in various historical documents and manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries, including land deeds, tax records, and church registers. One notable example is the mention of a Hans Lintz, a respected craftsman and guild member from the city of Augsburg in the late 1400s.
As the centuries passed, the surname Lintz continued to spread across the German-speaking regions, with various spelling variations emerging, such as Linz, Lintze, and Linzer. One prominent figure bearing this name was Johann Lintz, a renowned theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg, who lived from 1573 to 1637.
In the 18th century, a certain Friedrich Lintz (1698-1781) made his mark as a respected composer and organist in the court of the Prussian King Frederick the Great. Another notable individual was the German author and playwright August Lintz (1801-1876), whose works were widely celebrated during the Romantic era.
As the name Lintz continued to disperse across Europe and beyond, it became associated with various professions and walks of life, from scholars and artists to farmers and tradesmen. While the exact origins of the surname may never be known with certainty, its rich history and enduring presence serve as a testament to the cultural diversity and heritage of the German-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lintz
Among Census respondents with the surname Lintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lintz 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 Lintz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 1,672
- Two or more races5.4% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 99
- Black or African American4.1% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lintz
Lintz 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
#14,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,050
+84 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 477 places
2020
#14,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,975
-75 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,060 | 1,966 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,537 | 2,050 | 0.69 | +84 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 477 places |
| 2020 | #14,514 | 1,975 | 0.66 | -75 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 23 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 Lintz 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 | #14,537 | #14,514 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,050 | 1,975 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.66 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lintz bearers went from 2,050 to 1,975 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,537 to #14,514.
FAQ
Lintz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lintz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,265 living Americans carry the surname Lintz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,326 residents.
How common is Lintz?
Lintz ranks #14,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,975 people with the surname Lintz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,265), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Lintz.
Has Lintz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lintz went from 2,050 recorded bearers to 1,975. That is a decrease of 75 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,537 to #14,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Lintz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Lintz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (1,672 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lintz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Lintz (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 Lintz mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a settlement near a wood, grove, or boundary. 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 Lintz (0.66 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 Lintz?
Find out how common the surname Lintz is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.