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

Besselman, 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 Besselman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Besselman in America

Besselman is the 62531st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Besselman surname appeared 320 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 Besselman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Besselman 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 Besselman

The surname BESSELMAN is of German origin, originating in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "Besse", meaning a type of spearhead, and "Mann", meaning man or person. This suggests the name may have initially referred to a spearman or someone skilled in using such weapons.

The earliest known records of the BESSELMAN surname can be traced back to the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In the 17th century, variations of the spelling included "Besselman", "Bessellman", and "Besselmann".

One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Johann Besselman, a farmer born in Schwäbisch Hall, Baden-Württemberg, in 1612. Historical records from the nearby town of Crailsheim mention a Matthias Besselman, a blacksmith, who lived there in the late 1600s.

In the 18th century, the BESSELMAN name began appearing in various church and municipal records across southern Germany. Notable examples include Christoph Besselman (1723-1789), a baker from Nuremberg, and Anna Maria Besselman (1746-1811), a weaver from Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

As the surname spread throughout Germany and into neighboring regions, it evolved into different spellings, such as "Besselmann" and "Beßelmann". One prominent figure was Johann Georg Besselmann (1784-1842), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

By the 19th century, the BESSELMAN surname had also found its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, Karl Besselmann (1813-1888) was a German-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Besselman

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

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

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

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