Show ContentsKatz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The prestigious surname Katz is a symbol of the Jewish culture, which has been found in many places all over the world. In the Middle Ages, most people were known only by one name. As people began to settle closer to one another in towns and cities, it became more important to be able to identify people. As such, hereditary surnames arose. The surname Katz is an occupational surname, which comes from the Hebrew phrase "kohen Tsedek," which means "priest of righteousness."

Katz Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Katch and others.

Katz Ranking

In the United States, the name Katz is the 1,176th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Katz is ranked the 8,856th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. [2]


United States Katz migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Katz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Conrad Katz, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 [3]
  • Jacob Katz, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 [3]
  • Henrich Katz, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 [3]
  • Michael Katz, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 [3]
  • Stephan Katz, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Katz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Goddard Katz, aged 37, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 [3]
  • Ludwig Katz, aged 40, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 [3]
  • William August Katz, aged 22, who landed in Missouri in 1844 [3]
  • Mavien Katz, aged 16, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 [3]
  • A Marie Katz, aged 21, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Katz Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Herman Katz, who landed in Mississippi in 1905 [3]
  • Tom Katz, who arrived in Mississippi in 1906 [3]
  • Maris Katz, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1910 [3]
  • Leib Katz, who landed in Texas in 1910 [3]
  • Josef Leib Katz, who arrived in Galveston, Tex in 1917 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Katz (post 1700) +

  • Samuel L. Katz (1927-2022), American pediatrician and virologist, Wilburt Cornell Davison Professor and Chairman Emeritus of Pediatrics at Duke University
  • Bruce Richard Katz (1947-2022), American entrepreneur who co-founded The Rockport Shoe Company in 1972
  • Vera Katz (1933-2017), née Pistrak, an American Democratic politician, 49th Mayor of Portland, Oregon (1993-2005), 57th Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives (1985-1990)
  • David A. Katz (1933-2016), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (2005-2016)
  • Sergeant Phillip Carl Katz (1889-1987), U.S. Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor
  • Robert Katz (1933-2010), American novelist, screenwriter, and non-fiction author
  • Phillip Walter Katz (1962-2000), American computer programmer best-known as the co-creator of the zip file format for data compression, and the author of PKZIP
  • Nicholas Michael Katz (b. 1943), American mathematician
  • Jonathan Paul Katz (b. 1946), American comedian, actor, and voice actor [4]
  • Jon Katz (b. 1947), American journalist and author
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Triangle Waist Company
  • Miss Rose Katz, American worker who was at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire [5]


Suggested Readings for the name Katz +

  • The New Yorker's Family History of Jacob Katz by Alexander Jack Katz.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Jonathan Katz. (Retrieved 2011, February 15) Jonathan Katz. Retrieved from http://www.jonathankatz.com
  5. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire


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