2000
#5,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.32
Rare Last name
Ritz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) nickname for a person with curly hair, derived from Middle High German ritz, meaning "curl."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,892 Americans carry the last name Ritz. That puts it at #5,582 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,732 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ritz 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
6.9K
1 in 49,732
Census rank
#5,582
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,010 bearers of the surname Ritz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5582nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ritz
The surname Ritz has its origins in Germany, where it is thought to have emerged in the early Middle Ages, around the 9th or 10th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "ritz" or "ritz," which means "crack" or "fissure." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive surname, given to someone who lived near a conspicuous geological feature such as a crack or fissure in the landscape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ritz can be found in the Codex Falkensteinensis, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century, which mentions a certain "Heinricus Ritz" from the region of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. Another early reference to the name appears in the Hirsauer Codex, a 12th-century chronicle from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, which mentions a "Conradus Ritz."
The surname Ritz is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as the town of Ritzingen in Bavaria and the village of Ritzenhausen in Hesse. These place names likely derive from the same Old German root as the surname, further indicating the name's geographical origins.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ritz was Johann Ritz (c. 1555-1612), a German Protestant theologian and reformer from Nuremberg. Another notable figure was Johann Ritz (1666-1719), a German composer and organist from Saxony.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the hotelier César Ritz (1850-1918), who was born in Niederwald, Switzerland. César Ritz is credited with establishing the modern concept of the luxury hotel, and his name became synonymous with opulence and impeccable service in the hospitality industry.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ritz include Walter Ritz (1878-1909), a Swiss theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to the field of atomic physics, and Hans Ritz (1892-1976), a German film director and screenwriter active during the Weimar Republic and the early years of Nazi Germany.
In summary, the surname Ritz has its roots in medieval Germany, where it likely originated as a descriptive name related to geological features. Over the centuries, it has been associated with various historical figures, ranging from theologians and composers to scientists and entrepreneurs, with César Ritz being one of the most renowned bearers of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ritz
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ritz 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 Ritz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 5,445
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 311
- Two or more races2.6% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 50
- Black or African American0.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ritz
Ritz 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
#5,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,430
+175 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 265 places
2020
#5,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,010
-420 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,148 | 6,255 | 2.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,413 | 6,430 | 2.18 | +175 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 265 places |
| 2020 | #5,582 | 6,010 | 2.01 | -420 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 169 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 Ritz 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 | #5,413 | #5,582 | -3.1% |
| Count | 6,430 | 6,010 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.01 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ritz bearers went from 6,430 to 6,010 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,413 to #5,582.
FAQ
Ritz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ritz?
Name Census estimates that about 6,892 living Americans carry the surname Ritz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,732 residents.
How common is Ritz?
Ritz ranks #5,582 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,010 people with the surname Ritz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ritz.
Has Ritz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ritz went from 6,430 recorded bearers to 6,010. That is a decrease of 420 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,413 to #5,582.
What does the Census say about the background of Ritz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ritz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ritz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (5,445 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ritz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ritz (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 Ritz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) nickname for a person with curly hair, derived from Middle High German ritz, meaning "curl." 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 Ritz (2.01 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 Ritz?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Ritz, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.