Ahner last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Ahner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ahner.

Meaning of Ahner

Derived from the Middle High German word "acher," referring to someone who lived near or worked on fields.

Ahner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ahner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ahner in America

Ahner is the 25833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ahner surname appeared 953 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ahner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ahner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 25833 24368 5.84%
Count 953 963 -1.04%
Proportion per 100k 0.32 0.36 -11.76%

The history of the last name Ahner

The surname Ahner has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, located in modern-day eastern Germany. The name is derived from the German word "Ahne," which means "ancestor" or "forefather."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ahner can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Chemnitz, Saxony, dated 1489. These records mention a certain Johann Ahner, who was a landowner and farmer in the area.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ahner family spread to various parts of central and eastern Germany, with many members settling in the regions of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, and Brandenburg. The name was sometimes spelled differently, such as "Aehner" or "Ahener," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Ahner surname was Johann Gottfried Ahner (1704-1782), a renowned theologian and author from Saxony. He wrote several books on religious subjects and served as a pastor in various churches throughout his life.

Another notable individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Ahner (1801-1879), a German politician and lawyer from Saxony-Anhalt. He was a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and played a significant role in the political landscape of his time.

The surname Ahner also found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland, likely due to migration and trade. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Aehner" or "Ahener."

In the 19th century, a well-known figure was Carl Gustav Ahner (1825-1898), a German-American architect and civil engineer. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and designed several notable buildings, including the Milwaukee City Hall and the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Another notable bearer of the Ahner surname was Franz Ahner (1889-1962), an Austrian painter and artist known for his landscape and portrait works. He was born in Vienna and spent most of his career in Austria, leaving behind a significant artistic legacy.

Throughout history, the surname Ahner has been associated with various professions, including farming, theology, law, architecture, and the arts. Despite its German origins, the name has spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, reflecting the rich cultural diversity and history of surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ahner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ahner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ahner was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.96% 905
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.63% 6
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.05% 10
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.89% 18
Hispanic Origin 1.47% 14

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ahner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.96% 96.16% -1.26%
Black 0.63% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.05% 0.52% 67.52%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.89% 1.45% 26.35%
Hispanic 1.47% 1.25% 16.18%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ahner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ahner, please contact us.

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Ahner last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 27, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ahner-surname-popularity/.

"Ahner last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ahner-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 July, 2024

Ahner last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ahner-surname-popularity/.

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