Lenz
A German surname that may come from the season of spring or from short forms of names like Lorenz.
The #3,226 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,589 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lenz is a German surname with more than one possible source. In some cases it is taken from Middle High German and modern German "Lenz," meaning "spring" or "springtime," making it a nickname-like surname from a seasonal word. Other historical writers also connect it with shorter forms of names such as Lorenz (Laurentius), so in some families it may be a reduced form of a personal name rather than a direct word for spring.
History
19th- and early-20th-century surname scholars regularly listed Lenz among German names drawn from the seasons, and also noted its use as a shortened form of Lorenz. The surname is established in German-speaking areas and spread beyond them through migration. Because both explanations appear in the literature, different family lines with the same spelling may not share a single origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
German surname writers treated Lenz as part of a small group of surnames formed from the seasons, alongside names like Winter and Sommer.
From the historical record
“Lentseh s. Land I. (einst E.). Lenz s. a) I. Land (einst E.) b) n. Lau- rentius. Leon- 8. Lew. Leop-, Lep- s. Liud (Y.). -lepp 1) L 8. Laif 2) IIL Leben.”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen