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

Reitz, 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 Reitz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reitz in America

Reitz is the 4663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reitz surname appeared 7,604 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Reitz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reitz 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 Reitz

The surname REITZ is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the word "Reitz," which was an old German term for a small river or stream. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name where the bearers lived near a small watercourse.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name REITZ can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Hesse, Germany. In the year 1274, a certain "Heinrich von Reitz" is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Reitzenhain.

Another early reference to the name REITZ appears in the Königsberger Bürgerlisten, a register of citizens in the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), dating back to the 14th century. The name "Hans Reitz" is listed as a resident in the year 1395.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the REITZ name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with bearers recorded in areas such as Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. One notable figure from this period was Johann Reitz (1565-1636), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.

In the 18th century, the REITZ name also found its way to North America, as German immigrants began settling in various colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann Peter Reitz, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 and later became a prominent landowner in the region.

Another notable bearer of the REITZ surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Reitz (1773-1843), a German-born architect and civil engineer who immigrated to the United States in the early 19th century. He played a significant role in the construction of several important buildings and infrastructure projects in the city of Philadelphia.

Other historical figures with the REITZ surname include:

1. Christian Reitz (1665-1738), a German Orientalist and theologian known for his work on Arabic and Persian languages.
2. Johann Heinrich Reitz (1767-1842), a German painter and engraver recognized for his landscape and architectural works.
3. Carl Reitz (1880-1949), a German actor and film director active during the silent film era in Germany.
4. Emil Reitz (1846-1919), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Reitz Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana.
5. Denys Reitz (1882-1944), a South African politician and soldier who served as the Administrator of the Orange Free State from 1928 to 1943.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reitz

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

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

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

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