2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Relitz
A surname derived from a Germanic place name meaning a small stream or rivulet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Relitz. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Relitz 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Relitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Relitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Relitz
The surname RELITZ is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 12th century in the region of Saxony-Anhalt. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "relit," which referred to a person who worked with reeds or lived near a reed bed. The name may have also been influenced by the Middle Low German word "relet," meaning a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RELITZ can be found in the Lehnbücher (feudal records) of the Margraviate of Meissen from the late 13th century, where a certain "Heinricus Relitz" is mentioned as a landholder. This suggests that the name was already established in the area by that time.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Relitze" and "Relitz," in the town records of Eisleben, a historic mining town in Saxony-Anhalt. This town is notable for being the birthplace of the Protestant reformer Martin Luther in 1483.
During the 16th century, the name RELITZ gained further prominence with the birth of Hans Relitz (1495-1576), a noted Lutheran theologian and rector of the University of Wittenberg. He was a contemporary of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Relitz (1558-1627), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Dukes of Saxony-Weimar. His works, which include motets and other sacred music, were highly regarded in his time.
In the 18th century, the RELITZ family produced a distinguished military figure, Friedrich Wilhelm von Relitz (1720-1798). He was a Prussian general who served under Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War and later became the Governor of Berlin.
The name RELITZ also has a connection to the English county of Yorkshire, where it is believed to have been introduced by German immigrants in the 19th century. One notable bearer of the name from this region was Sir Charles Relitz (1867-1941), a successful industrialist and philanthropist who was knighted for his contributions to the local community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Relitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Relitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Relitz 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 Relitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Black or African American5.6% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Relitz
Relitz 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,272 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,272 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Relitz 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Relitz bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Relitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Relitz?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Relitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Relitz?
Relitz ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Relitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Relitz.
Has Relitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Relitz went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Relitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Relitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Relitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Relitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Black (5.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Relitz (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 Relitz mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic place name meaning a small stream or rivulet. 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 Relitz (0.04 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 share the surname Relitz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.