Lorenz
A German and Central European surname ultimately from the personal name Laurentius, meaning “from Laurentum” or “of Laurence.”
The #2,483 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,252 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lorenz is the German form of the Latin personal name Laurentius, the name borne by St. Laurence. Laurentius originally meant “man from Laurentum,” a place name in ancient Italy, though in surname use it is usually understood simply as a hereditary form of the given name. In German-speaking areas, Lorenz became a common family name either directly from the baptismal name or through shortened forms such as Lenz.
History
The excerpts show Lorenz treated in German scholarship as a form connected with Laurentius, and they also note related shortenings such as Lenz. The name is widespread in German-speaking regions and adjacent Central European areas, where it appears both as a surname and as a given name. In some historical records, spellings and variants overlap with forms like Lorentz and Lorenz.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
German naming handbooks sometimes treat Lenz as a clipped form of Lorenz, not just as an independent surname or nickname.
From the historical record
“^.aurcnce, fur LAriiJiNCi:. S.a>irence. "William Lorenz, Normandy 1180-95 (MRS); John, liiohard, William Laurc-nz or Lau- f 1”
— The Norman People and their existing descendants in the British dominions and the United States