Lentz
A German surname most often linked to the word for “spring,” though in some cases it may come from older names or place-names.
The #2,396 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,412 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually explained from German dialect lenz, meaning “spring” or “the springtime season.” That makes it one of several surnames formed from a season or a pleasant descriptive word. Some older writers also suggested other possibilities, including connections with place-names or with shortened forms of names such as Laurent, so the surname is not always derived the same way in every family.
History
The surname is found in German-speaking areas and later appears in records beyond them, including Anglicized and French-influenced contexts. 19th-century surname writers often treated it as a “spring” name, which fits its spelling and common German usage. Because similar-looking forms can also reflect regional spelling or unrelated local origins, family history may need to be checked case by case.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century onomastic writers explicitly glossed Mr. Lentz as the German word for “spring.”
From the historical record
“blable, on peut citer Leueuf. Lens, Lentz, Lenz. 1° F. du vieux nom germ. Lanz (pays); 2» f. flam. de Laurent (Le».»); 3" n. d. I. (flam.) ; 4" printemps {lenz, Allem.). Lenthèric. F. du vieux nom”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)