2000
#3,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.13
Rare Last name
Martz
Derived from a shortened form of the German personal name "Markwart," meaning "brave defender."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,822 Americans carry the last name Martz. That puts it at #4,471 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martz 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
8.8K
1 in 38,852
Census rank
#4,471
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,693 bearers of the surname Martz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4471st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Martz
The surname Martz is of German origin, originating from the medieval German personal name Mart or Martz, which is a shorthand form of the name Martin. This name was derived from the Latin name Martinus, which was initially a Roman family name, but later became associated with Mars, the Roman god of war.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Martz can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southwestern areas. It is believed that the name may have been initially associated with place names such as Marzlingen or Marzell, which were derived from the same root.
In the 15th century, the name Martz appeared in several historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Franconia. One notable individual from this period was Hans Martz, a merchant from Nuremberg, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1487.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Martz spread across various parts of Germany, including the Rhineland, Bavaria, and Saxony. In the town of Ulm, there was a prominent family of clockmakers and goldsmiths who bore the surname Martz, including Philipp Martz (1532-1607), who was renowned for his intricate clockworks.
In the 18th century, the name Martz was found in various records from the Palatinate region of Germany. One notable individual from this period was Johann Martz (1719-1794), a composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Elector of Bavaria.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and North America in the 19th century, the surname Martz was carried with them. Johann Martz (1805-1879), a German-American author and journalist, was among the early bearers of the name who immigrated to the United States.
Other notable individuals with the surname Martz throughout history include Heinrich Martz (1871-1944), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic, and Edith Martz (1894-1981), an American artist and educator known for her landscapes and portraits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martz
Among Census respondents with the surname Martz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Martz 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 Martz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 7,104
- Two or more races3.2% · 247
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 221
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martz
Martz 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
#4,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,250
-183 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 441 places
2020
#4,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,693
-557 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,868 | 8,433 | 3.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,309 | 8,250 | 2.80 | -183 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 441 places |
| 2020 | #4,471 | 7,693 | 2.57 | -557 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 162 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 Martz 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 | #4,309 | #4,471 | -3.8% |
| Count | 8,250 | 7,693 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.57 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martz bearers went from 8,250 to 7,693 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 162 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,309 to #4,471.
FAQ
Martz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martz?
Name Census estimates that about 8,822 living Americans carry the surname Martz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,852 residents.
How common is Martz?
Martz ranks #4,471 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,693 people with the surname Martz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,822), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Martz.
Has Martz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martz went from 8,250 recorded bearers to 7,693. That is a decrease of 557 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,309 to #4,471.
What does the Census say about the background of Martz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Martz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (7,104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Martz (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 Martz mean?
Derived from a shortened form of the German personal name "Markwart," meaning "brave defender." 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 Martz (2.57 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 Martz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.