2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wurtzbacher
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Würzbach in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Wurtzbacher. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wurtzbacher 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Wurtzbacher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurtzbacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wurtzbacher
The surname Wurtzbacher is of German origin, appearing historically in the region of Bavaria. It dates back to the medieval period, roughly around the 14th to the 15th century. The name is a toponymic surname, derived from the combination of two German words: "Wurtz," meaning 'herb' or 'spice,' and "Bach," meaning 'stream' or 'brook.' Therefore, Wurtzbacher essentially means 'one who lives by the herb brook' or 'herb stream.'
The region where this surname was most prevalent includes areas near Franconia, where small Bavarian villages often had brooks and herbal gardens that residents used for medicinal and culinary purposes. These geographic features frequently influenced the inhabitants' surnames.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname can be traced to a 1472 tax register in the town of Regensburg, where a Hans Wurtzbacher was noted as a local merchant. This indicates that the name was well-established by the late 15th century and associated with economic activities in the community.
In the 16th century, a Maria Wurtzbacher was mentioned in a legal document from Nuremberg in 1578, indicating that the name had spread to other parts of Bavaria and that individuals bearing the name were involved in various social and legal matters in the region.
An important figure in the 17th century bearing the surname was Johann Georg Wurtzbacher (1610-1680), a noted herbalist whose works on medicinal herbs were recognized in several Bavarian and Austrian principalities. His contributions to early modern botany mark a significant point in the name's history.
In the 18th century, records from the town of Bamberg show the name appearing in various forms, such as Wurtzbacher and Würtzbacher, highlighting the fluidity and slight variations in spelling that often occurred. A notable person from this era was Karl Friedrich Wurtzbacher (1765-1821), a local magistrate known for his reforms in rural justice systems.
Another prominent individual was Maximilian Wurtzbacher (1823-1890), a military officer in the Bavarian army who rose to the rank of Colonel and was decorated for his service during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. His military records are preserved in the Bavarian State Archives.
Lastly, in the late 19th century, Anna Wurtzbacher (1867-1942), an early advocate for women's education and rights in the Bavarian region, became a well-known figure. Her works and speeches contributed significantly to the movement for gender equality in Southern Germany.
The surname Wurtzbacher, with its deep roots in Bavarian geography and culture, has been borne by individuals across various fields, from medicine and law to military and social reform, reflecting the rich and diverse heritage of those who carry it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wurtzbacher
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurtzbacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wurtzbacher 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 Wurtzbacher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wurtzbacher
Wurtzbacher 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,887 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 989 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 13,887 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 989 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 Wurtzbacher 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 | #152,628 | #151,639 | 0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 107 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wurtzbacher bearers went from 107 to 107 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 989 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #151,639.
FAQ
Wurtzbacher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wurtzbacher?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Wurtzbacher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Wurtzbacher?
Wurtzbacher ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Wurtzbacher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Wurtzbacher.
Has Wurtzbacher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wurtzbacher went from 107 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Wurtzbacher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurtzbacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (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 Wurtzbacher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wurtzbacher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Black (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 Wurtzbacher (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 Wurtzbacher mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Würzbach in Germany. 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 Wurtzbacher (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 Wurtzbacher?
See how many Americans have the surname Wurtzbacher on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.