2000
#4,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.45
Rare Last name
Waltz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a forest keeper, ranger, or someone living near a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,246 Americans carry the last name Waltz. That puts it at #5,325 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,303 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waltz 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
7.2K
1 in 47,303
Census rank
#5,325
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,319 bearers of the surname Waltz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5325th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waltz
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Waltz 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 Waltz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 5,842
- Two or more races2.8% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 167
- Black or African American0.9% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waltz
Waltz 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
#5,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,819
+217 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 247 places
2020
#5,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,319
-500 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 194 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,884 | 6,602 | 2.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,131 | 6,819 | 2.31 | +217 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 247 places |
| 2020 | #5,325 | 6,319 | 2.11 | -500 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 194 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 Waltz 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 | #5,131 | #5,325 | -3.8% |
| Count | 6,819 | 6,319 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.11 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waltz bearers went from 6,819 to 6,319 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 194 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,131 to #5,325.
FAQ
Waltz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waltz?
Name Census estimates that about 7,246 living Americans carry the surname Waltz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,303 residents.
How common is Waltz?
Waltz ranks #5,325 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,319 people with the surname Waltz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Waltz.
Has Waltz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waltz went from 6,819 recorded bearers to 6,319. That is a decrease of 500 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,131 to #5,325.
What does the Census say about the background of Waltz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (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 Waltz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (5,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waltz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (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 Waltz (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 Waltz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a forest keeper, ranger, or someone living near a forest. 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 Waltz (2.11 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 surname Waltz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.