2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sultze
A Polish surname derived from the German word "Sulze" meaning pickle juice or brine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Sultze. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sultze 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Sultze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultze, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sultze
The surname Sultze is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "sulz," meaning "muddy stream" or "swamp." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near a marshy area or a slow-moving body of water.
Early records indicate that the surname Sultze first appeared in various regions of present-day Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. It is possible that the name was also present in neighboring areas, such as parts of Austria and Switzerland, due to the migration of people during that period.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Sultze can be found in a 14th-century document from the city of Nuremberg, which mentions a certain "Hans Sultze." This indicates that the name was well-established in that region by the late Middle Ages.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the surname Sultze. For instance, Johann Sultze (1538-1612) was a renowned Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another notable figure was Christoph Sultze (1603-1676), a German jurist and author who wrote extensively on legal matters.
In the 18th century, the Sultze family gained prominence in the region of Saxony. Heinrich Sultze (1712-1789) was a respected lawyer and judge in the city of Leipzig, while his son, Friedrich Sultze (1744-1818), became a prominent merchant and philanthropist in the same city.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Sultze was the German composer and musician Wilhelm Sultze (1812-1876). He was renowned for his contributions to the development of church music and served as the director of music at several prominent churches in Berlin.
While the surname Sultze is not as common today as it once was, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Germany. The name's connection to geographical features and its appearance in historical records provide insights into the lives and occupations of those who bore this distinctive surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sultze
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultze, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sultze 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 Sultze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 111
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sultze
Sultze appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,608 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 Sultze 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 | #143,149 | #145,757 | -1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 115 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sultze bearers went from 116 to 115 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,757.
FAQ
Sultze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sultze?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Sultze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Sultze?
Sultze ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Sultze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Sultze.
Has Sultze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sultze went from 116 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Sultze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultze, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Sultze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sultze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Sultze (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 Sultze mean?
A Polish surname derived from the German word "Sulze" meaning pickle juice or brine. 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 Sultze (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 are called Sultze?
If you just want to know how common the surname Sultze is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.