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

Peltz, 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 Peltz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peltz in America

Peltz is the 11865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peltz surname appeared 2,639 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 Peltz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peltz 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 Peltz

The surname Peltz has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name, derived from the place name "Pelz" or "Peltz," which was likely a small village or town. The name is believed to have originated from the Old High German word "pelz," meaning "fur" or "pelt," suggesting a connection to the fur trade or a region known for its furriers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Peltz can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the Corvey Abbey in Westphalia, Germany. This document, dating back to the 9th century, mentions a person named "Pelzo" who owned land near the abbey.

In the 14th century, records show a Henricus Peltz living in the town of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. This suggests that the name had already spread to various regions of Germany by that time.

The surname Peltz also appears in the Bürgeraufnahmebücher, or the citizen admission books, of the city of Frankfurt am Main in the 16th century. This indicates that families with this surname had established themselves in urban centers as well.

One notable individual bearing the Peltz surname was Johann Peltz, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1592 in Gedern, Hesse. He was a renowned scholar and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

Another prominent figure was Christian Peltz, a German composer and organist born in 1740 in Saxony. He served as the court organist in Dresden and composed numerous works for the organ and other instruments.

In the 19th century, a famous bearer of the Peltz surname was Gustav Peltz, a German painter and illustrator born in 1821 in Berlin. He is known for his landscapes and illustrations of fairy tales and fables.

The surname Peltz has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Pelzerhaken, a municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, and Pelzerhaken, a former village in Saxony-Anhalt. These place names suggest a connection to the surname's origins and may have influenced its spread across different regions.

While the surname Peltz is predominantly found in Germany, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peltz

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

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 Peltz 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 Peltz 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 Peltz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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