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

Battenberg, 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 Battenberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Battenberg in America

Battenberg is the 87663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Battenberg surname appeared 212 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 Battenberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Battenberg 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.

The history of the last name Battenberg

The surname Battenberg originated in Germany, specifically in the Hesse region, during the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Batten," meaning "to beat" or "to strike," and "Berg," meaning "mountain" or "hill." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a beaten or well-trodden path on a hill or mountain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Battenberg can be found in the records of the town of Battenberg, which is located in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in the state of Hesse, Germany. The town itself is believed to have been founded in the 12th century, and it is possible that the surname emerged from this location.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Battenberg family became prominent in the German principality of Hesse-Darmstadt. One notable member was Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1823-1888), who married Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of the United Kingdom. Their son, Prince Louis of Battenberg (1854-1921), was an British naval officer and the founder of the Battenberg branch of the British royal family.

Another notable figure with the surname Battenberg was Maurice Battenberg (1891-1976), a British-born American opera singer and actor. He was born in Liverpool, England, and later moved to the United States, where he appeared in several Broadway productions and movies.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021), the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was born as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. He was a member of the Battenberg family through his maternal grandmother, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, who was a granddaughter of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine.

In the early 20th century, during World War I, the Battenberg family in the United Kingdom changed their name to Mountbatten, an anglicized version of the German "Battenberg," due to anti-German sentiment at the time. This name change was adopted by several members of the family, including Lord Louis Mountbatten (1900-1979), the last Viceroy of India and the uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Battenberg

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

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 Battenberg 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.

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

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

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

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