Explore the Family Name Herz
The meaning of Herz
1. German: from a personal name derived from a short form of the various ancient Germanic compound names with the first element hard ‘hardy, brave, strong’. 2. German: nickname for a stout-hearted or kind-hearted individual, from Middle High German herze ‘heart’. 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Herz ‘heart’, Yiddish harts. 4. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish personal name Herts, which is from Middle High German hir(t)z ‘deer, hart’ (see Hirsch). 5. Germanized form of Sorbian Herc: occupational name for a player or musician, from Upper Sorbian herc ‘player, musician, fiddler’. Compare Hertz. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Erwin, Fritz, Gerhard, Hans, Helmut, Ilse, Arnd, Egon, Ewald, Heinz, Irmgard.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Herz in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Herz has seen a slight decrease in popularity ranking from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 16,138 and slipped to 17,481 by 2010, marking an 8.32% decrease. The count of individuals with the surname also fell from 1,647 to 1,612 during the same period, showing a reduction of 2.13%. The proportion of the Herz surname per 100,000 people similarly dipped by 9.84%, going from 0.61 in 2000 to 0.55 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,138 | #17,481 | -8.32% |
| Count | 1,647 | 1,612 | -2.13% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.61 | 0.55 | -9.84% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Herz
The ethnic identity associated with the Herz surname has seen some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest ethnicity, White, experienced a slight decrease from 95.39% to 94.11%, a change of -1.34%. However, the proportion of Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic identifiers increased significantly. The Asian/Pacific Islander category rose from 0.73% to 1.55%, a substantial increase of 112.33%, while the Hispanic group saw a 23.30% growth, moving from 2.06% to 2.54%. The categories of Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native both dropped to zero by 2010. The category of those identifying with two or more races saw a modest rise of 7.83%, increasing from 1.15% to 1.24%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.39% | 94.11% | -1.34% |
| Hispanic | 2.06% | 2.54% | 23.3% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.73% | 1.55% | 112.33% |
| Two or More Races | 1.15% | 1.24% | 7.83% |
| Black | 0.3% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.36% | 0% | 0% |
Herz ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Herz is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 36.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.8%) and British & Irish (16.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 36.6% |
| French & German | 21.8% |
| British & Irish | 16.8% |
| Other | 24.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Herz
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Herz have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Germany.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 43.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 43.90% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 43.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 43.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 43.90% |
What Herz haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Herz is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Herz surname are: H1, H, U5a. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Herz have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Herz" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Herz" Surname 57.1%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Herz" Surname 62.5%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Herz" Surname 16.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Herz?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Herz are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition