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

Waltz, 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 Waltz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waltz in America

Waltz is the 5131st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waltz surname appeared 6,819 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Waltz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waltz 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 Waltz

The surname Waltz originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "walzen," which means "to roll or turn." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a roller, turner, or miller.

The earliest known record of the Waltz surname dates back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. In 1389, a man named Hans Waltz was mentioned in the town records of Nuremberg, an important city in the Holy Roman Empire at that time.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Waltz name began to appear more frequently in various German regions, such as Saxony and Silesia. This coincided with the spread of the printing press, which allowed for better record-keeping and documentation of surnames.

One notable historical figure with the Waltz surname was Johann Waltz (1564-1642), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden. His contributions to the development of the early Baroque style of music were significant.

In the 17th century, the Waltz surname was also found in areas of modern-day Switzerland and Austria, likely due to migration and intermarriage among German-speaking populations in Central Europe.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Christian Waltz (1655-1717), a German theologian and author who wrote several influential works on Protestant theology and ethics during the Age of Enlightenment.

As the 19th century approached, the Waltz surname began to spread more widely across Europe and even to the Americas through immigration. Johann Nepomuk Waltz (1789-1869), an Austrian composer and violinist, is credited with popularizing the Waltz dance style in Vienna and beyond.

Carl Waltz (1829-1900), a German-American engraver and lithographer, made significant contributions to the development of printmaking techniques in the United States during the latter half of the 19th century.

Finally, Kenneth N. Waltz (1924-2013), an American political scientist and author, is widely regarded as one of the most influential scholars in the field of international relations theory, particularly for his work on structural realism and the balance of power.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waltz

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

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

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

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