2000
#14,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,906
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Moretz
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "mor" meaning "moor" or "swamp."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,048 Americans carry the last name Moretz. That puts it at #15,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moretz 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
2.0K
1 in 167,361
Census rank
#15,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,786 bearers of the surname Moretz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moretz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moretz
The surname MORETZ has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 15th century. It is derived from the German word "Moritz," which itself comes from the Latin name "Mauritius," meaning "dark-skinned." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone with a darker complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MORETZ surname can be found in the town of Mörfelden-Walldorf, near Frankfurt, where a family by the name of MORETZ is mentioned in records from the year 1492. The name is also found in various other German documents and records from the 16th and 17th centuries, often spelled as "Moritz," "Moretz," or "Moriz."
In the 18th century, the MORETZ surname began to spread beyond Germany, as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable individual with this surname was Johann Friedrich MORETZ (1717-1789), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in Leipzig.
As the MORETZ name traveled, it underwent various spelling variations, including "Moritz," "Moretz," "Morets," and "Morettz." In some cases, the name may have been influenced by the French surname "Moreau," which has a similar sound and meaning.
In the 19th century, the MORETZ surname began to appear in records from the United States, as German immigrants arrived in the country. One prominent American with this name was Henry MORETZ (1828-1901), a politician and businessman from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the state legislature.
Other notable individuals with the MORETZ surname include:
1. Wilhelm MORETZ (1886-1965), a German artist and sculptor known for his works in bronze and stone.
2. Elfriede MORETZ (1910-1998), an Austrian author and poet who wrote several collections of poetry and children's books.
3. Karl MORETZ (1918-2003), a German-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for his work in the field of aerospace technology.
4. Günter MORETZ (1932-2017), a German footballer who played as a striker for several clubs in the German Bundesliga.
5. Chloë Grace MORETZ (born 1997), an American actress and model best known for her roles in films such as "Kick-Ass," "Hugo," and "Carrie."
While the MORETZ surname may have evolved over time and across different regions, it remains rooted in its German origins and continues to be a notable surname in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moretz
Among Census respondents with the surname Moretz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Moretz 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 Moretz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,669
- Two or more races3.3% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moretz
Moretz 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
#14,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
+145 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 137 places
2020
#15,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,786
-265 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,395 | 1,906 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,532 | 2,051 | 0.70 | +145 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 137 places |
| 2020 | #15,738 | 1,786 | 0.60 | -265 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 1,206 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 Moretz 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 | #14,532 | #15,738 | -8.3% |
| Count | 2,051 | 1,786 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.60 | -14.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moretz bearers went from 2,051 to 1,786 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 1,206 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,532 to #15,738.
FAQ
Moretz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moretz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,048 living Americans carry the surname Moretz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,361 residents.
How common is Moretz?
Moretz ranks #15,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,786 people with the surname Moretz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,048), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Moretz.
Has Moretz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moretz went from 2,051 recorded bearers to 1,786. That is a decrease of 265 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,532 to #15,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Moretz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moretz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Moretz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,669 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moretz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Moretz (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 Moretz mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "mor" meaning "moor" or "swamp." 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 Moretz (0.60 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 Moretz?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Moretz, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.