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

Betten, 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 Betten surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Betten in America

Betten is the 40856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Betten surname appeared 534 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 Betten.

We can also compare 2010 data for Betten 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 Betten

The surname Betten originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "betten," which means "bed" or "bedding." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who made or sold beds or bedding materials.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Betten can be found in the parish records of Mecklenburg, Germany, where a Johann Betten was recorded in 1598. The name also appeared in various other German regions, such as Saxony and Bavaria, during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Historically, the name Betten was sometimes spelled differently, with variations like Betten, Betthen, or Bettgen. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and spelling preferences at the time.

While the name Betten is not particularly common, there are a few notable individuals who bore this surname throughout history. One example is Johann Michael Betten (1741-1820), a German theologian and author who wrote several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Würzburg.

Another prominent figure with the surname Betten was Karl Betten (1862-1935), a German politician and judge who served as the Minister of Justice for the German Empire from 1917 to 1918.

In the Netherlands, the name Betten can be traced back to the 17th century. One notable bearer of this surname was Pieter Betten (1625-1708), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his portraiture and genre scenes.

Moving to England, there are records of the Betten surname appearing in the 18th century, possibly due to German immigration. One individual of note was William Betten (1772-1856), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

Finally, in the United States, the Betten surname can be found in records dating back to the 19th century, with many immigrants arriving from Germany and other parts of Europe. One notable American with this surname was Charles Betten (1887-1962), a scientist and engineer who worked on the development of early television technology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Betten

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

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

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

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