UK surname
A surname of German origin referring to someone who came from a place called Herz or Herze.
In the 1881 census there were 55 people recorded with the Hertz surname, ranking it #25,862 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 71, ranked #33,633, down from #25,862 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Christ Church Spitalfields, London parishes and St Mary Whitechapel. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hertz is 105 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.1%.
1881 census count
55
Ranked #25,862
Modern count
71
2016, ranked #33,633
Peak year
1901
105 bearers
Map years
1
1901 to 1901
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Hertz surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Hertz surname density by area, 1901 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 21 | #29,550 |
| 1861 | historical | 19 | #31,470 |
| 1881 | historical | 55 | #25,862 |
| 1891 | historical | 66 | #28,541 |
| 1901 | historical | 105 | #22,179 |
| 1911 | historical | 95 | #23,294 |
| 1997 | modern | 49 | #32,776 |
| 1998 | modern | 55 | #32,399 |
| 1999 | modern | 55 | #32,561 |
| 2000 | modern | 51 | #32,999 |
| 2001 | modern | 56 | #32,379 |
| 2002 | modern | 59 | #32,468 |
| 2003 | modern | 50 | #33,362 |
| 2004 | modern | 59 | #32,787 |
| 2005 | modern | 61 | #32,814 |
| 2006 | modern | 61 | #33,142 |
| 2007 | modern | 67 | #32,871 |
| 2008 | modern | 70 | #32,856 |
| 2009 | modern | 69 | #33,257 |
| 2010 | modern | 65 | #33,863 |
| 2011 | modern | 67 | #33,704 |
| 2012 | modern | 66 | #33,901 |
| 2013 | modern | 70 | #33,753 |
| 2014 | modern | 70 | #33,782 |
| 2015 | modern | 73 | #33,541 |
| 2016 | modern | 71 | #33,633 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Christ Church Spitalfields, London parishes, St Mary Whitechapel and St Dunstan Stepney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christ Church Spitalfields | London (East Districts) |
| 2 | London parishes | London 1 |
| 3 | St Mary Whitechapel | London (East Districts) |
| 4 | London parishes | London 3 |
| 5 | St Dunstan Stepney | London (East Districts) |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Hertz surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hertz, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Hertz surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Hertz household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Hertz is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hertz is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Hertz, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Hertz originated from Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word 'Herz', which means 'heart' or 'deer'. The name was initially used as a descriptive term, referring to either someone with a kind and compassionate nature or someone who was a skilled hunter of deer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hertz can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Bavaria, in 1548, where a certain Hans Hertz was listed as a resident. In the same region, the Hertz family was known to have lived in the village of Herzogenaurach, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of their surname.
During the Middle Ages, the Hertz surname appeared in various German chronicles and manuscripts, often associated with individuals involved in trades or professions related to hunting or game management. For instance, a man named Johann Hertz was documented as a master huntsman in the court records of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1612.
Prominent figures who bore the Hertz surname include Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894), a German physicist renowned for his groundbreaking work on electromagnetic radiation, which laid the foundation for the development of radio technology. Another notable bearer of this name was Gustav Hertz (1887-1975), a German physicist and Nobel laureate who made significant contributions to the study of atomic structure and the properties of free electrons.
Other historical figures with the surname Hertz include Friedrich Hertz (1615-1690), a German jurist and legal scholar; Johann Daniel Hertz (1696-1772), a German composer and organist; and Paul Hertz (1888-1961), a German-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios.
The Hertz surname has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Herzogenaurach, a town in Bavaria, and Hertzberg, a village in Lower Saxony. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Herz, Hertzog, and Hertzig, among others.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hertz surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 32 Hertz' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.97x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 32 | 5.97x |
| Lancashire | 11 | 1.73x |
| Yorkshire | 10 | 1.88x |
| Cheshire | 1 | 0.84x |
| Sussex | 1 | 1.11x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Spitalfields London in Middlesex leads with 17 Hertz' recorded in 1881 and an index of 421.84x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Spitalfields London | 17 | 421.84x |
| Manningham | 8 | 122.14x |
| Islington London | 5 | 9.62x |
| Everton | 4 | 19.72x |
| Hampstead London | 4 | 47.90x |
| Rusholme | 4 | 235.29x |
| Hornsey | 2 | 29.50x |
| Ilkley | 2 | 229.89x |
| Mile End Old Town London | 2 | 17.51x |
| Newton In Makerfield | 2 | 102.56x |
| Broadwater | 1 | 48.31x |
| Chorlton On Medlock | 1 | 9.89x |
| Clerkenwell London | 1 | 7.90x |
| Kensington London | 1 | 3.35x |
| Winnington | 1 | 769.23x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Hertz surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Hertz surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
FAQ
In 1881, 55 people were recorded with the Hertz surname. That placed it at #25,862 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 71 in 2016. That gives Hertz a modern rank of #33,633.
A surname of German origin referring to someone who came from a place called Herz or Herze.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hertz bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.