Stutz
A short German surname that likely began as a nickname from a clipped form of a word for a tuft, trim, or cropped cut.
The #8,458 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,084 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Stutz is best understood as a German nickname surname, probably from a short form of Middle High German or dialectal words connected with trimming, clipping, or a tufted top. In German surname formation, such nicknames often described a person's hair, beard, posture, or some other noticeable feature. The historical sources supplied here mention Stutz only incidentally, so the exact original sense remains somewhat uncertain.
History
The surname appears in German-speaking areas and later spread through migration to North America and elsewhere. Because the name is relatively short and opaque, it may also have developed independently in more than one place from similar nickname uses. In the United States it remains uncommon but established.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same German root family appears in older surname formations used in compounds, showing how productive nickname bases were in German naming.
From the historical record
“spanisch Bärtel, italienisch Bärtel, Sonn- tagsbärtol, Osterbärtel, Lillbärtel, Spill-, Drill-, Schmutzbärtel, Stutz-, Trutzbärtel usw. FN. Bart, Barth, — Zss. Breitbart, Buntebarth. Flachsbart, Judenbart, Rauschbart (vgl. Eberhard der Rausche-”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen