2000
#11,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,463
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Nitz
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "nitze," meaning a metalworker or maker of rivets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,779 Americans carry the last name Nitz. That puts it at #12,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,337 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nitz 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
2.8K
1 in 123,337
Census rank
#12,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,423 bearers of the surname Nitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The Nitz surname is also found in various historical documents from other parts of Germany, such as church records, land registries, and tax rolls.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nitz 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 Nitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,256
- Two or more races3.2% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nitz
Nitz 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
#11,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,667
+204 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#12,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,423
-244 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,671 | 2,463 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,746 | 2,667 | 0.90 | +204 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #12,263 | 2,423 | 0.81 | -244 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 517 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 Nitz 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 | #11,746 | #12,263 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,667 | 2,423 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.81 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nitz bearers went from 2,667 to 2,423 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 517 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,746 to #12,263.
FAQ
Nitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nitz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,779 living Americans carry the surname Nitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,337 residents.
How common is Nitz?
Nitz ranks #12,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,423 people with the surname Nitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Nitz.
Has Nitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nitz went from 2,667 recorded bearers to 2,423. That is a decrease of 244 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,746 to #12,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Nitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Nitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,256 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Nitz (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 Nitz mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "nitze," meaning a metalworker or maker of rivets. 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 Nitz (0.81 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 Nitz?
Want to know how many people have the surname Nitz? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.