Find out how popular the last name Nitz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nitz.

Nitz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nitz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nitz in America

Nitz is the 11746th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nitz surname appeared 2,667 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nitz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nitz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nitz

The surname Nitz originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Nitz," which means a wooded valley or a narrow mountain pass. This suggests that the name was initially associated with people who lived in or near such geographical features.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Bautzen, a town in the eastern part of Saxony, Germany. In 1532, a man named Hans Nitz was mentioned in these records. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during the early part of the 16th century in that region.

The Nitz surname is also found in various historical documents from other parts of Germany, such as church records, land registries, and tax rolls. For example, in the town of Zittau, located in the modern-day state of Saxony, a record from 1596 mentions a man named Caspar Nitz.

While the Nitz surname is not as widely known as some other German surnames, there have been several notable individuals throughout history who bore this name. One such person was Johann Nitz (1829-1902), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee County Courthouse and the Pabst Mansion.

Another prominent figure was Karl Nitz (1873-1944), a German composer and conductor who was the director of the Cologne Opera from 1906 to 1918. He composed several operas and other works during his lifetime.

In the realm of literature, there was Friedrich Nitz (1892-1976), a German author and poet who was known for his works depicting life in rural Germany during the early 20th century.

The name Nitz has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Nitzahütte, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Nitzaberg, a hill located in the Thuringian Forest in central Germany.

While the Nitz surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its German origins and the geographical features that likely inspired the name. The name has been borne by individuals across various fields, from architecture and music to literature, leaving a lasting mark on their respective disciplines.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nitz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nitz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nitz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nitz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nitz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nitz, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!