2000
#88,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Maritz
A surname of German or Yiddish origin meaning "marriage" or "wedding".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 251 Americans carry the last name Maritz. That puts it at #90,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,365,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maritz 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
251
1 in 1,365,555
Census rank
#90,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
219
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 219 bearers of the surname Maritz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maritz
The surname Maritz has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "marha," which means "boundary" or "border." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or guarded borders or territorial boundaries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Maritz can be found in various historical documents from German-speaking regions, such as church records, tax rolls, and census data. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the records of the town of Schwabach, located in the present-day state of Bavaria, dating back to the late 1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maritz name spread across various parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including regions that were part of the Holy Roman Empire. Some variations in spelling also emerged, such as Maritz, Maritz, and Maritz.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Maritz was Hans Maritz, a farmer who lived in the town of Regensburg, Bavaria, in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Johann Maritz, a Protestant theologian and scholar who was born in Nuremberg in 1612 and made significant contributions to the study of biblical exegesis.
In the 19th century, the Maritz surname gained prominence with the birth of Gustav Maritz (1816-1892), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded one of the earliest steel manufacturing companies in the Ruhr Valley region of Germany.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Maritz (1840-1918), a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag and the Berlin Cathedral. His innovative architectural styles and contributions to the cityscape of Berlin earned him widespread recognition during his lifetime.
As the Maritz name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. For instance, Johann Maritz (1785-1854) was a German settler who established one of the first German communities in South Africa in the early 19th century, contributing to the introduction of the surname in that region.
While the surname Maritz may have originated from a specific geographical area or occupation, it has since become a part of the diverse tapestry of surnames found across various cultures and nations, reflecting the unique histories and migrations of families over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maritz
Among Census respondents with the surname Maritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Maritz 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 Maritz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.6% · 170
- Two or more races16.0% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 7
- Black or African American2.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maritz
Maritz 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
#93,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 195
+1 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,096 places
2020
#90,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
+24 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 3,402 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,825 | 194 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #93,921 | 195 | 0.07 | +1 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 5,096 places |
| 2020 | #90,519 | 219 | 0.07 | +24 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,402 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 Maritz 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 | #93,921 | #90,519 | 3.6% |
| Count | 195 | 219 | 12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maritz bearers went from 195 to 219 (+12.3% change). The surname moved up 3,402 positions in the national ranking, going from #93,921 to #90,519.
FAQ
Maritz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maritz?
Name Census estimates that about 251 living Americans carry the surname Maritz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,365,555 residents.
How common is Maritz?
Maritz ranks #90,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 219 people with the surname Maritz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Maritz.
Has Maritz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maritz went from 195 recorded bearers to 219. That is an increase of 24 (+12.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #93,921 to #90,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Maritz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Maritz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maritz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.6%), Two or More Races (16.0%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Maritz (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 Maritz mean?
A surname of German or Yiddish origin meaning "marriage" or "wedding". 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 Maritz (0.07 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 Maritz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Maritz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.