Schatz
A German surname that began as a nickname or ornamental name from the word for “treasure.”
The #5,553 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,312 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schatz is the German word for “treasure,” and the surname most likely began as a nickname, affectionate byname, or ornamental creation based on that word. In older German usage, it could also carry the sense of something or someone precious. The name is not usually taken as an occupational surname; its core idea is value, wealth, or dear regard.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and later spread through migration to North America and elsewhere. Nineteenth-century surname writers routinely glossed it simply as the German word for “treasure,” which matches the modern understanding of the name. In English-language records it may sometimes be found unchanged, though pronunciation often shifts toward an English-style final “ts.”
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several older surname books grouped Schatz with other “money” or wealth-related names, because its literal meaning is so transparent.
From the historical record
“language, Lat. (fourth cent.) Scotti, Scdti, *Skotto-s. Stokes translates the name as "masters, owners," allied to Got. skatts, money, Ger. schatz, treasure, stock, Oh. SI. skotii, pro- perty, cattle. The root skat, hurt, scathe, cut, of Eng. scathe, has been suggested, either as " cutters" or " tattooed ones" (so…”
— Etymology of the principal Gaelic national names, personal names, surnames