Volz
A German surname most often explained as a shortened form of names built on the element Volk-, “people.”
The #6,775 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,022 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Volz is generally treated as a shortened German form of a personal name beginning with Volk-, meaning “people” or “folk.” In older surname scholarship it is often grouped with forms such as Volkmar and related short forms like Volz/Voltz, suggesting a clipped or diminutive development from a fuller given name. The final -z reflects common German sound changes in these short-name forms rather than a separate root.
History
The historical excerpts place Volz alongside other German surname forms thought to come from shortened personal names, and they show it as an established surname in German-speaking areas by the 19th century. It is also found in variant spellings such as Voltz and Völz, which reflect regional spelling and pronunciation differences. In the modern United States, the name is relatively uncommon but clearly present through German immigration lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Volz with a whole family of clipped German names, treating it as part of a broader naming pattern rather than a single isolated surname.
From the historical record
“Richard (Reichard: Ritz und Reiz, aus Dieterich: Dietz, aus Siegfried (Seifried): Seitz, aus Ulrich: Utz, aus Volk— mar (Volmar): Volz, aus Wilhelm: Wilz oder Wilß, aus Reinhard: Renz, aus Ludwig: Lutz (Lotz) u. ſ. w. Eine Verkleinerungsformel im Hochdeutſchen iſt ferner bekanntlich die Silbe —el, und auch dieſe…”
— Deutsches Namenbüchlein