Explore the Family Name Lorenz
The meaning of Lorenz
1. German, Dutch, and Spanish: from local forms (German Laurenz, Lorenz, Dutch Laurens, Catalan Llorenç) of the Latin personal name Laurentius (see Lawrence). This surname is also found in Poland, Czechia, France (Alsace and Lorraine), Sweden, and Denmark. Compare Lorance, Lorence, and Lorentz. 2. Germanized or Americanized form of Polish, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, and Slovenian Lorenc. 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): adoption of the German surname (see 1 above) or adoption the German Christian personal name as a surname. In some families, it could be adopted or assigned because of a Jewish personal name having several sounds in common with Lorenz (compare Lazar 1). Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Hans, Alois, Erwin, Juergen, Dieter, Fritz, Gerhard, Guenter, Helmut, Ilse, Klaus.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lorenz in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Lorenz saw a slight fluctuation in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Lorenz was the 2295th most popular surname, but it slipped to the 2483rd position in 2010, marking a decrease of 8.19%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the Lorenz surname increased marginally from 14,501 in 2000 to 14,528 in 2010, a subtle growth of 0.19%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Lorenz per 100,000 decreased by 8.36% over the 10-year span.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,295 | #2,483 | -8.19% |
| Count | 14,501 | 14,528 | 0.19% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.38 | 4.93 | -8.36% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lorenz
The ethnic identity associated with the Lorenz surname also underwent some changes between 2000 and 2010, as demonstrated by the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of individuals with the Lorenz surname identified as White, though this proportion decreased slightly from 95.09% in 2000 to 93.73% in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Hispanic experienced significant growth, climbing from 2.43% to 3.28%, a jump of nearly 35%. Notably, the proportion of individuals identifying as two or more ethnicities also rose significantly, going from 0.99% to 1.36%. Smaller increases were seen among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.09% | 93.73% | -1.43% |
| Hispanic | 2.43% | 3.28% | 34.98% |
| Two or More Races | 0.99% | 1.36% | 37.37% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.72% | 0.76% | 5.56% |
| Black | 0.43% | 0.45% | 4.65% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.34% | 0.41% | 20.59% |
Lorenz 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 Lorenz is French & German, which comprises 39.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (31.8%) and Eastern European (11.5%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 39.4% |
| British & Irish | 31.8% |
| Eastern European | 11.5% |
| Other | 17.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Lorenz
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 Lorenz have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 68.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 68.20% |
What Lorenz 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 Lorenz is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-L48 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schmidt, Mueller, Miller, Fischer, Weber, Bauer, Lutz, Keller, Koch, Lange.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lorenz surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
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 Lorenz 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.
"Lorenz" Surname 41.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Lorenz" Surname 19.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Lorenz" Surname 17.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Lorenz" Surname 16.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Lorenz?
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 Lorenz are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition