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

Biesterfeld, 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 Biesterfeld surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Biesterfeld in America

Biesterfeld is the 68345th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Biesterfeld surname appeared 288 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 Biesterfeld.

We can also compare 2010 data for Biesterfeld 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 Biesterfeld

The surname Biesterfeld has its origins in northern Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "bies" meaning "sharp" or "pointed," and "feld" meaning "field" or "open land." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived or worked on a piece of land with a distinct geographical feature, such as a pointed hill or a sharp bend in a river.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Biesterfeld can be found in the records of the village of Biesterfeld, located in the state of Lower Saxony. This village, which still exists today, was first mentioned in official documents in the late 1500s, and it is likely that the surname originated from this specific location.

In the 17th century, several families bearing the name Biesterfeld emigrated from northern Germany to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable individual from this period was Johann Biesterfeld, a merchant from Hamburg who settled in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now New York) in the 1650s.

The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent figures with the surname Biesterfeld. In 1712, Hans Biesterfeld, a German theologian and philosopher, was born in the town of Osnabrück. He went on to become a respected scholar and author, publishing works on theology and ethics.

Another significant figure from this era was Friedrich Biesterfeld, a German military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). He is recorded as having participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Leuthen in 1757.

In the 19th century, the Biesterfeld name gained recognition in the field of science and engineering. Carl Biesterfeld (1805-1877) was a German civil engineer who made significant contributions to the construction of railroads and bridges in his home country.

Additionally, Otto Biesterfeld (1839-1912) was a German chemist and inventor who developed several innovations in the field of photography, including an early color photography process.

Throughout the 20th century, individuals with the surname Biesterfeld continued to make their mark in various fields. Notably, Gerhard Biesterfeld (1923-2003) was a German-American physicist who worked on the development of radar technology during World War II and later made contributions to the field of semiconductor research.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Biesterfeld

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

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

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

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