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

Birenbaum, 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 Birenbaum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Birenbaum in America

Birenbaum is the 48717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Birenbaum surname appeared 433 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 Birenbaum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Birenbaum 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 Birenbaum

The surname Birenbaum originated in Germany in the late medieval period, likely derived from a combination of the German words "bieren" meaning "beer" and "baum" meaning "tree." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname referring to someone who brewed or sold beer, or perhaps someone who lived near a particular tree used for brewing purposes.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in German church records and tax rolls from the 15th and 16th centuries, primarily in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia. Variations in spelling from these early records include Birrenbaum, Birnbaum, and Byrenbaum.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Birenbaum, a brewer who lived in the town of Nuremberg in the late 15th century. Records show that he was granted a license to operate a brewery in 1489.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Augsburg, where a merchant named Jakob Birenbaum is mentioned in a trade agreement from 1623.

As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it evolved into various spellings and regional variations. In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Johann Birenbaum (1723-1805) was a respected theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg.

Another notable bearer of the name was the 19th-century German artist and illustrator Gustav Birenbaum (1838-1917), known for his intricate woodcut illustrations in books and periodicals.

In the early 20th century, a German-born American named Max Birenbaum (1876-1941) achieved success as a businessman and philanthropist, founding the Birenbaum Foundation in New York City.

As the name spread beyond Germany, it took on different linguistic adaptations. For example, in Poland, the name became Birnbaum or Birnbojm, while in Russia it was rendered as Birenboyim or Birenbaoym.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Birenbaum

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

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

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

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