2000
#79,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Katzin
A surname derived from the German word "Katze" meaning cat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 227 Americans carry the last name Katzin. That puts it at #98,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,509,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Katzin 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
227
1 in 1,509,931
Census rank
#98,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
198
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 198 bearers of the surname Katzin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 98131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Katzin, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Katzin
The surname KATZIN is of German origin, derived from the German word 'Katze', meaning 'cat'. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who bred or caught cats, or as a nickname for someone with cat-like characteristics.
The earliest recorded use of the name KATZIN dates back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It was sometimes spelled as 'Katzin', 'Katzen', or 'Katzner' in various historical records and manuscripts.
In the Kirchenbücher (church records) of St. Nikolai in Leipzig, a Johannes Katzin was mentioned in 1589, suggesting that the name was already established in that area by the late 16th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname KATZIN was Hans Katzin, a farmer from the village of Thurnau, Bavaria, who lived in the early 17th century.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Michael Katzin, a Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg, who was born in 1657 and died in 1721. He published several works on theology and religious education.
In the 18th century, the name KATZIN appeared in various regions of Germany, including Saxony and Thuringia. The Kirchenbücher of St. Thomas in Leipzig recorded the birth of Christian Gottlob Katzin in 1732.
One of the most prominent individuals with the surname KATZIN was Friedrich Katzin, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1781 to 1846. He taught at the University of Leipzig and published numerous works on philosophy and pedagogy.
In the 19th century, the name KATZIN spread to other parts of Europe and the United States, as German immigrants settled in new regions. Notable individuals include Carl Katzin, a German-American artist and illustrator born in 1856, and Max Katzin, a German-American businessman and philanthropist born in 1876.
While the surname KATZIN is not as common today as it once was in Germany, it remains a part of the cultural heritage and history of the region, with its origins rooted in the occupations and nicknames of medieval times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Katzin
Among Census respondents with the surname Katzin, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Katzin 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 Katzin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.5% · 195
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Katzin
Katzin 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
#88,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
-11 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,378 places
2020
#98,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
-12 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 9,795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,958 | 221 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,336 | 210 | 0.07 | -11 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 8,378 places |
| 2020 | #98,131 | 198 | 0.07 | -12 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 9,795 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 Katzin 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 | #88,336 | #98,131 | -11.1% |
| Count | 210 | 198 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Katzin bearers went from 210 to 198 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 9,795 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,336 to #98,131.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Katzin
FAQ
Katzin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Katzin?
Name Census estimates that about 227 living Americans carry the surname Katzin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,509,931 residents.
How common is Katzin?
Katzin ranks #98,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 198 people with the surname Katzin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Katzin.
Has Katzin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Katzin went from 210 recorded bearers to 198. That is a decrease of 12 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #88,336 to #98,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Katzin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Katzin, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Katzin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (195 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Katzin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.5%), Hispanic (0.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Katzin (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 Katzin mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Katze" meaning cat. 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 Katzin (0.07 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 are called Katzin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Katzin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.