2000
#5,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Mintz
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "Münze," meaning "coin" or "mint," referring to a minter or moneychanger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,331 Americans carry the last name Mintz. That puts it at #6,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mintz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mintz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,139
Census rank
#6,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,521 bearers of the surname Mintz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mintz
The surname MINTZ originated in Germany, specifically in the Rhineland region. It is believed to have emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "Münze," which means "coin" or "money." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the surname may have been involved in minting or money-related professions.
In the early historical records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Mintz, Minz, Müntz, and Münz, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a document from the city of Cologne, dated 1382, which mentions a certain "Johannes Müntz."
The surname MINTZ is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded examples is Rabbi Judah ben Eliezer Mintz, a prominent Jewish scholar who lived in the 16th century (c. 1508-1585) and authored several influential works on Jewish law and ethics.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Samuel Mintz (c. 1620-1685), a Dutch merchant and financier who was involved in the Dutch East India Company. He played a significant role in the economic and commercial activities of the Dutch Republic during that period.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname MINTZ was Hirsch Mintz (1824-1900), a Polish-born American businessman and philanthropist. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and established a successful clothing manufacturing business in New York City. Mintz was also known for his charitable contributions to various educational and religious institutions.
In the field of literature, Elijah Moses Mintz (1857-1936) was a prominent American writer and editor. He worked as the editor of several Jewish publications and authored several books on Jewish history and culture, including "The Sages of Israel" and "The Legends of the Jews."
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Lev Davidovich Mintz (1898-1978), a Soviet writer and playwright. He is best known for his play "The Conspiracy of the Equals," which portrayed the life and struggles of the French revolutionary Gracchus Babeuf.
While the surname MINTZ has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with bearers of the name found in countries like the United States, Israel, and Russia, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mintz
Among Census respondents with the surname Mintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mintz 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 Mintz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 4,414
- Black or African American12.1% · 667
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 194
- Two or more races2.9% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mintz
Mintz 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
#5,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,853
-48 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 468 places
2020
#6,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,521
-332 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,428 | 5,901 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,896 | 5,853 | 1.98 | -48 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 468 places |
| 2020 | #6,001 | 5,521 | 1.85 | -332 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 105 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 Mintz 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 | #5,896 | #6,001 | -1.8% |
| Count | 5,853 | 5,521 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 1.85 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mintz bearers went from 5,853 to 5,521 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,896 to #6,001.
FAQ
Mintz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mintz?
Name Census estimates that about 6,331 living Americans carry the surname Mintz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,139 residents.
How common is Mintz?
Mintz ranks #6,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,521 people with the surname Mintz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,331), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mintz.
Has Mintz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mintz went from 5,853 recorded bearers to 5,521. That is a decrease of 332 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,896 to #6,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Mintz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mintz, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mintz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (4,414 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mintz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (12.1%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mintz (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 Mintz mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "Münze," meaning "coin" or "mint," referring to a minter or moneychanger. 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 Mintz (1.85 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 have the surname Mintz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.