2000
#11,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Motz
A German occupational surname derived from the word "matz," meaning a type of wooden mallet or hammer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,607 Americans carry the last name Motz. That puts it at #12,925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Motz 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
2.6K
1 in 131,475
Census rank
#12,925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,273 bearers of the surname Motz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Motz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Motz
The surname Motz is of German origin, and its history can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated as a nickname derived from the Middle High German word "mot" or "motz," which means "mud" or "dirt." This suggests that the name might have been given to someone who worked in a muddy or dirty environment, such as a farmer or a laborer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Motz can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the year 1368. The entry refers to a "Hans Motz," who was a resident of the city at that time.
In the late 15th century, the Motz family was well-established in the region of Franconia, which is located in the northern part of Bavaria, Germany. Some notable members of the family during this period include Johannes Motz (c. 1460-1525), a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
As the surname spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Mots, Motsch, and Motzke. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name outside of Germany was Hans Motz, a Swiss painter and illustrator who lived in the 16th century. His works can be found in various churches and monasteries throughout Switzerland.
In the 17th century, the Motz family established itself in the Palatinate region of Germany, where they played a significant role in the local economy and politics. Johann Motz (1615-1682), a wealthy landowner and magistrate, was a prominent figure in the town of Heidelberg during this period.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Motz surname continued to spread across Europe, with notable individuals such as Friedrich Motz (1775-1848), a German theologian and philosopher, and Carl Motz (1824-1899), a Prussian military officer and historian.
Other notable individuals with the surname Motz include:
1. Hermann Motz (1850-1925), a German mathematician and physicist.
2. Roger Motz (1905-1983), a French composer and conductor.
3. Joachim Motz (1936-2009), a German actor and director.
4. Gerd Motz (born 1945), a German football player and manager.
5. Melissa Motz (born 1974), an American actress and model.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Motz
Among Census respondents with the surname Motz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Motz 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 Motz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,090
- Two or more races3.2% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 69
- Black or African American1.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Motz
Motz 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
#13,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,354
-81 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 1,261 places
2020
#12,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,273
-81 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,781 | 2,435 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,042 | 2,354 | 0.80 | -81 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 1,261 places |
| 2020 | #12,925 | 2,273 | 0.76 | -81 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 117 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 Motz 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 | #13,042 | #12,925 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,354 | 2,273 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.76 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Motz bearers went from 2,354 to 2,273 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,042 to #12,925.
FAQ
Motz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Motz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,607 living Americans carry the surname Motz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,475 residents.
How common is Motz?
Motz ranks #12,925 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,273 people with the surname Motz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Motz.
Has Motz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Motz went from 2,354 recorded bearers to 2,273. That is a decrease of 81 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,042 to #12,925.
What does the Census say about the background of Motz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Motz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Motz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,090 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Motz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Motz (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 Motz mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "matz," meaning a type of wooden mallet or hammer. 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 Motz (0.76 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 Motz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.