Lotz
A German surname that is often a short form of Ludwig or other older personal names.
The #8,551 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,152 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lotz is generally treated as a German pet or shortened form of older given names, especially Ludwig. The medieval name element behind Ludwig is Old High German hlūt/hlōd- and wig, meaning roughly “famous in battle,” though surname forms like Lotz often reflect later clipped or dialect spellings rather than the full original name. In some regional traditions, Lotz is grouped with other short forms such as Lutz, Lautz, and Loss.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas in a cluster of nickname-style surnames built from familiar short forms of given names. 19th- and early-20th-century writers regularly connected Lotz with Ludwig, and the surname has remained especially associated with German and German-American usage. Spelling variation is common, with Lotz, Lutz, and Lautz overlapping in older records and dialects.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books often place Lotz alongside a whole family of clipped forms from Ludwig, showing how flexible medieval and dialect nickname formation could be.
From the historical record
“Lott- 8. Hlod (V., einst E.). Lotsehe, Lottere, Lotz- s. Hlod (einst. E.). Löwe I. ni. als EöDig der Tiere von den Deutschen seit den Erouzzügen angesehen;”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen