2000
#7,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,023
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Wirtz
A German occupational surname referring to an innkeeper, tavern keeper, or host.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,620 Americans carry the last name Wirtz. That puts it at #7,904 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wirtz 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
4.6K
1 in 74,189
Census rank
#7,904
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,029 bearers of the surname Wirtz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7904th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wirtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wirtz
The surname Wirtz is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "wirt," which means "host" or "innkeeper." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an individual who owned or operated an inn or tavern.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Wirtz can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly in regions of present-day Germany and Switzerland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Wirtz, a citizen of the city of Cologne, mentioned in a document dated 1285.
The name Wirtz has also been associated with various place names, such as Wirtzfeld and Wirtzhaus, which further reinforces its connection to the hospitality industry. In some cases, the name may have also been derived from the occupation of "Wirt" or "Wirtin," referring to an innkeeper or hostess.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Wirtz. One example is Johann Wirtz (1589-1662), a German theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg. Another is Johann Christoph Wirtz (1742-1807), a German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the Rhineland region.
Additionally, the name Wirtz has been associated with various artistic and cultural figures. Carl Wirtz (1839-1916) was a German landscape painter known for his depictions of the Black Forest region. Renée Wirtz (1904-1968) was a French actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions during the mid-20th century.
In the realm of sports, Willi Wirtz (1892-1957) was a German footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Borussia Dortmund and Fortuna Düsseldorf. He also represented the German national team at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
It is worth noting that while the surname Wirtz is primarily associated with Germany and German-speaking regions, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and around the world due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wirtz
Among Census respondents with the surname Wirtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wirtz 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 Wirtz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,733
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 166
- Two or more races2.3% · 93
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wirtz
Wirtz 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
#7,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,166
+143 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#7,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,029
-137 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,620 | 4,023 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,942 | 4,166 | 1.41 | +143 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #7,904 | 4,029 | 1.35 | -137 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 38 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 Wirtz 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 | #7,942 | #7,904 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,166 | 4,029 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.35 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wirtz bearers went from 4,166 to 4,029 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,942 to #7,904.
FAQ
Wirtz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wirtz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,620 living Americans carry the surname Wirtz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,189 residents.
How common is Wirtz?
Wirtz ranks #7,904 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,029 people with the surname Wirtz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wirtz.
Has Wirtz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wirtz went from 4,166 recorded bearers to 4,029. That is a decrease of 137 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,942 to #7,904.
What does the Census say about the background of Wirtz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wirtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wirtz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wirtz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wirtz (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 Wirtz mean?
A German occupational surname referring to an innkeeper, tavern keeper, or host. 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 Wirtz (1.35 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 Wirtz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.