2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vahsholtz
A surname derived from the archaic German term for "valley dweller" or "valley folk".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Vahsholtz. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vahsholtz 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Vahsholtz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vahsholtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vahsholtz
The surname VAHSHOLTZ is believed to have its origins in Germany, likely emerging in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Vachsholz," which translates to "waxwood" or "waxholly," referring to a type of shrub or small tree. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname associated with someone who worked with wax or waxwood, possibly a candle maker or wax merchant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VAHSHOLTZ can be found in a 16th-century German census record from the region of Saxony. In this document, a family with the surname VAHSHOLTZ is listed as residing in a small village near the city of Leipzig. It is possible that the name originated in this area and later spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the VAHSHOLTZ name appeared in various historical records across Central Europe, including church registers, tax rolls, and land deeds. One notable individual bearing this surname was Johann VAHSHOLTZ, a respected scholar and professor of theology who lived in the late 17th century in the city of Wittenberg, Germany.
As the 19th century dawned, the VAHSHOLTZ name continued to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One prominent figure from this era was Friedrich VAHSHOLTZ, a renowned philosopher and author born in 1825 in the city of Freiburg, Germany.
In the 20th century, the VAHSHOLTZ surname gained recognition in the field of medicine with the work of Dr. Wilhelm VAHSHOLTZ, a pioneering surgeon who developed innovative techniques in orthopedic surgery. He was born in 1879 in Berlin and passed away in 1956.
Another notable individual with the VAHSHOLTZ surname was Hans VAHSHOLTZ, a celebrated German artist and sculptor who lived from 1895 to 1978. His works were widely exhibited and can be found in several prestigious art museums across Europe.
While the surname VAHSHOLTZ is not among the most common in Germany or elsewhere, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from academia and literature to medicine and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vahsholtz
Among Census respondents with the surname Vahsholtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vahsholtz 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 Vahsholtz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 107
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vahsholtz
Vahsholtz 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,528 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 5,528 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,126 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 Vahsholtz 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 | #148,347 | #147,221 | 0.8% |
| Count | 111 | 113 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vahsholtz bearers went from 111 to 113 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #147,221.
FAQ
Vahsholtz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vahsholtz?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Vahsholtz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Vahsholtz?
Vahsholtz ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Vahsholtz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Vahsholtz.
Has Vahsholtz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vahsholtz went from 111 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Vahsholtz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vahsholtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Vahsholtz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vahsholtz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Vahsholtz (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 Vahsholtz mean?
A surname derived from the archaic German term for "valley dweller" or "valley folk". 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 Vahsholtz (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 have the last name Vahsholtz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Vahsholtz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.