The Bretz surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,693 people carried this name — #8,867 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 80,000 people counted. That is up 9% from 3,401 in 2000.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 80 people named Bretz live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 70 people named Bretz.
1 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Haut-Rhin.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
38 people named Bretz live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Valais.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
66 people named Bretz is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Bretz in American newspapers,
1911–1917.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,480 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Bretz,
with a public archive behind them.
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John L. Bretz 1852–1920 · judge -
J Harlen Bretz 1882–1981 · university teacher -
Julius Bretz 1870–1953 · painter
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George Bretz 1880–1956 · lacrosse player
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Sophie Bretz 1898–
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Theodore Walter Bretz 1908–1968 · botanist
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Bretz.
- Brest 441 · U.S. census
- Bret 132 · U.S. census
- Bretey 115 · U.S. census
- Breton 4,322 · U.S. census
- Brett 5,482 · U.S. census
- Bretton 261 · U.S. census
- Breuer 4,138 · U.S. census
- Brevard 1,278 · U.S. census
- Brey 2,326 · U.S. census
- Breyer 1,248 · U.S. census
- Bria 616 · U.S. census
- Brian 4,214 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Bretz is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.