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

Atem, 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 Atem surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Atem in America

Atem is the 105600th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Atem surname appeared 169 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 Atem.

The history of the last name Atem

The surname ATEM is believed to have originated in Ancient Egypt, where it was derived from the Egyptian word "aten," which referred to the sun disk or the solar deity. This name was associated with the religious reforms of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who promoted the worship of the Aten as the sole deity during his reign in the 14th century BCE.

In the late 18th century, the Napoleonic expeditions to Egypt sparked a renewed interest in Ancient Egyptian culture and artifacts. During this time, the name ATEM was rediscovered and subsequently adopted as a surname by some European families, particularly those involved in Egyptology or fascinated by the ancient civilization.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ATEM can be found in the journals of Jean-François Champollion, the French scholar who deciphered the Rosetta Stone in the 1820s. Champollion made significant contributions to the understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs and mentioned several individuals with the surname ATEM in his writings.

In the 19th century, the surname ATEM gained prominence in Germany, where several notable individuals bore this name. One such individual was Johann Atem (1807-1873), a German archaeologist and Egyptologist who led excavations in the Nile Valley and discovered numerous ancient artifacts.

Another prominent figure with the surname ATEM was Marie Atem (1852-1921), a German novelist and playwright who wrote several works inspired by Egyptian mythology and culture. Her novel "The Curse of the Pharaohs" published in 1892, was a pioneering work of fiction in the genre of archaeological adventure stories.

In the 20th century, the surname ATEM appeared in various regions, including France, where the artist Marcel Atem (1906-1989) gained recognition for his surrealist paintings and sculptures that often incorporated Egyptian motifs and symbolism.

It is worth noting that the surname ATEM is relatively uncommon, and its distribution is scattered across different countries, reflecting the historical fascination with Ancient Egyptian culture and the influence of Egyptology on various aspects of society, including art, literature, and academia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Atem

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

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 Atem was:

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.

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 Atem was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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