Hintz
A German surname usually built from a pet form of a personal name, not from a trade or place.
The #4,776 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,689 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hintz is generally treated as a German surname formed from a short pet form of a first name beginning with Hans, Hinz, or Heinrich. In many German naming traditions, such clipped forms later became hereditary surnames. The ending -z reflects a common spelling for the familiar spoken form rather than a separate meaning of its own.
History
The surname is found in German-speaking areas and later in German diaspora communities, especially in North America. Related forms such as Hinz and Hintze are also common, and spellings often varied when families moved between German- and English-speaking regions. In the U.S., the name likely became more visible through 19th- and early-20th-century immigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The final -tz in German surnames often marks a nickname-like pronunciation rather than a separate ending with a meaning of its own.