2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Moltzen
A surname derived from the German word for "mill" or "mill pond".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Moltzen. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moltzen 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Moltzen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moltzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moltzen
The surname Moltzen is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the northwestern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Lower Saxony and Hamburg.
Moltzen is thought to be derived from the Old German word "molt," which meant "loose soil" or "earth." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on loose, sandy soil. Alternatively, it could be linked to the German word "Molken," which means "whey," potentially indicating a connection to dairy farming or cheesemaking.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moltzen can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dated around the 14th century. This suggests that the name had already established itself in this region by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Moltzen was Hans Moltzen, a German Renaissance painter and engraver born in Lübeck around 1500. His works were highly regarded during his lifetime, and some of his engravings can still be found in various art collections across Europe.
Another prominent individual with the surname Moltzen was Helmuth von Moltzen, a Prussian field marshal who lived from 1800 to 1891. He was a renowned military strategist and is often credited as one of the driving forces behind the successful Prussian campaigns against Denmark, Austria, and France in the 19th century.
In the literary world, the name Moltzen is associated with Friedrich Wilhelm Moltzen, a German writer and poet born in 1768. He was a member of the literary circle known as the Göttinger Hainbund and is remembered for his contributions to the Sturm und Drang movement.
The name Moltzen also appears in historical records from the town of Mölzen in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This place name is believed to be derived from the same linguistic root as the surname, potentially indicating a connection between the name and this specific location.
Throughout its history, the surname Moltzen has been found in various spellings, including Mölzen, Mölzin, and Molzen. These variations reflect the regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions across different parts of Germany over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moltzen
Among Census respondents with the surname Moltzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Moltzen 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 Moltzen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moltzen
Moltzen 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+8 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,849 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-14 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,539 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 1,849 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 14,539 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 Moltzen 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 | #128,249 | #142,788 | -11.3% |
| Count | 133 | 119 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moltzen bearers went from 133 to 119 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 14,539 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #142,788.
FAQ
Moltzen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moltzen?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Moltzen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Moltzen?
Moltzen ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Moltzen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Moltzen.
Has Moltzen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moltzen went from 133 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Moltzen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moltzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Moltzen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moltzen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (0.8%). 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 Moltzen (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 Moltzen mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "mill" or "mill pond". 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 Moltzen (0.04 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 last name Moltzen?
See how many Americans have the surname Moltzen on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.