2000
#13,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Manz
Derived from the Germanic personal name Manzo, a short form of various compound names beginning with "magan" meaning "strength."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,377 Americans carry the last name Manz. That puts it at #13,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manz 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 144,196
Census rank
#13,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,073 bearers of the surname Manz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manz
The surname Manz is of German origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Mann," which means "man" or "husband." The name may have originally been used as a nickname or a descriptive term for a strong or masculine individual.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was often spelled with slight variations, such as Manze, Mantz, or Mantze. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that era.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Manz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. The name is also mentioned in the Stadtbücher (city books) of various German towns, which recorded important events, transactions, and legal proceedings.
Among the notable individuals bearing the surname Manz throughout history are:
1. Thomas Manz (c. 1475-1528), a German Anabaptist leader and follower of Huldrych Zwingli. He was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs in Zurich, Switzerland.
2. Johann Michael Manz (1653-1719), a German theologian and author, known for his works on church history and theology.
3. Georg Michael Manz (1710-1784), a German engraver and publisher, renowned for his intricate copperplate engravings and maps.
4. Friedrich Manz (1801-1868), a German publisher and bookseller, who founded the publishing house F.A. Brockhaus in Leipzig.
5. Carl Manz (1866-1945), a German-American architect and urban planner, known for his work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and for designing several notable buildings in the city.
The name Manz has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Manzenbach, a small village in Bavaria, and Manzell, a town in Baden-Württemberg. These place names may have originated from the same root as the surname or could have been derived from individuals bearing the name who settled or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manz
Among Census respondents with the surname Manz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Manz 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 Manz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,903
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 76
- Two or more races2.7% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manz
Manz 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
#13,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,183
+83 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 534 places
2020
#13,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,073
-110 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,311 | 2,100 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,845 | 2,183 | 0.74 | +83 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 534 places |
| 2020 | #13,934 | 2,073 | 0.69 | -110 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 89 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 Manz 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 | #13,845 | #13,934 | -0.6% |
| Count | 2,183 | 2,073 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.69 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manz bearers went from 2,183 to 2,073 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,845 to #13,934.
FAQ
Manz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,377 living Americans carry the surname Manz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,196 residents.
How common is Manz?
Manz ranks #13,934 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 2,073 people with the surname Manz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,377), 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 Manz.
Has Manz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manz went from 2,183 recorded bearers to 2,073. That is a decrease of 110 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,845 to #13,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Manz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Manz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Manz (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 Manz mean?
Derived from the Germanic personal name Manzo, a short form of various compound names beginning with "magan" meaning "strength." 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 Manz (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 Americans have the surname Manz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.