Explore the Family Name Goerlitz

The meaning of Goerlitz

East German (Görlitz): habitational name from a Silesian city so named, on the border between Germany and southern Poland. The placename is of Sorbian origin; its modern Upper Sorbian form is Zhorjelc. Some characteristic forenames: German Erhard, Erwin, Gerda.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Goerlitz in the United States?

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Goerlitz has slightly decreased over a decade. In 2000, it was ranked as the 57,705th most popular surname, but in 2010, it fell to the 59,603rd rank, marking a decrease of 3.29%. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased marginally from 330 in 2000 to 339 in 2010, an increase of 2.73%. The proportion of people with this surname per 100k also decreased by 8.33%, from 0.12 in 2000 to 0.11 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#57,705	#59,603	-3.29%
Count	330	339	2.73%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.11	-8.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Goerlitz

When considering the ethnic identity of individuals with the surname Goerlitz, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of them identify as White. In both 2000 and 2010, over 96% of individuals with the Goerlitz surname were of White ethnicity. The percentage decreased slightly from 97.27% in 2000 to 96.76% in 2010. The data also shows a slight increase in the Hispanic representation among those with this surname, rising from 1.82% in 2000 to 2.36% in 2010 - a change of 29.67%. No individuals with the Goerlitz surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these census years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.27%	96.76%	-0.52%
Hispanic	1.82%	2.36%	29.67%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%