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

Baumgarten, 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 Baumgarten surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Baumgarten in America

Baumgarten is the 12652nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Baumgarten surname appeared 2,445 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Baumgarten.

We can also compare 2010 data for Baumgarten 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 Baumgarten

The surname Baumgarten is of German origin, derived from the words 'Baum' meaning 'tree' and 'Garten' meaning 'garden' or 'orchard'. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a tree garden or orchard.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. In 1295, a record from Würzburg mentions a Johannes Baumgarten, while another document from Heidelberg in 1337 references a Heinricus Baumgarten.

During the Middle Ages, the name Baumgarten was also found in various spellings such as Bawmgarten, Baumgarthen, and Baumgartten, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and writing. Some of these variations were likely influenced by the local dialect or the scribe's interpretation.

In the 16th century, the name appears in several historical records, including the tax rolls of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Baumgarten was listed in 1542. Around the same time, a scholar and humanist named Joachim Baumgarten (1506-1561) gained recognition for his contributions to education and theology.

As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it became associated with various notable individuals throughout history. For instance, Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten (1714-1762) was a German philosopher and academic who is credited with establishing aesthetics as a distinct field of study.

Another prominent figure was Michael Baumgarten (1812-1889), a German theologian and church historian who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. In the 20th century, Hans Baumgarten (1904-1963) was a German writer and journalist known for his work in the field of travel literature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Germany can be found in the Netherlands, where a certain Wilhelmus Baumgarten was mentioned in a document from Utrecht in 1492. This suggests that the name had already begun to spread beyond its original German roots by the late 15th century.

Overall, the surname Baumgarten has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it originated as a descriptive name for those living near tree gardens or orchards. Over the centuries, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, scholars, theologians, and writers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Baumgarten

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

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

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

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