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

Bellinger, 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 Bellinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bellinger in America

Bellinger is the 5917th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bellinger surname appeared 5,825 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bellinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bellinger 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 Bellinger

The surname Bellinger is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "bellinge," which means "bell" or "bell-maker." The name is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century as an occupational surname for those who were involved in the making or ringing of bells, particularly in churches or monasteries.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In medieval times, surnames were often derived from occupations, and the Bellinger name likely originated among families or individuals who were involved in bell-making or bell-ringing professions.

One of the earliest known references to the Bellinger name can be found in the records of the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Hans Bellinger was mentioned in a document dated 1478. Another early record comes from the town of Ulm, where a Konrad Bellinger was recorded in the 16th century.

As the name spread across Germany and Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Bellinger, Bellenger, and Bellingher. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.

Notable individuals with the Bellinger surname include:

1. Johann Bellinger (1560-1632), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony.
2. Johann Philipp Bellinger (1638-1704), a German baroque painter known for his religious and mythological works.
3. Johann Gottfried Bellinger (1715-1787), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
4. Carl Bellinger (1804-1889), a German-American architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Cooper Union Foundation Building.
5. Gustav Bellinger (1856-1930), a German classical philologist and epigraphist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek inscriptions.

While the Bellinger name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain closely tied to its German heritage and the historical occupation of bell-making or bell-ringing.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bellinger

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

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

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

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