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

Birkenstock, 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 Birkenstock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Birkenstock in America

Birkenstock is the 106096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Birkenstock surname appeared 168 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 Birkenstock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Birkenstock 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 Birkenstock

The surname Birkenstock is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German words "birke" and "stock," meaning "birch" and "trunk" or "stump," respectively. This name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near or by a birch tree trunk or stump. It first emerged in various regions of Germany during the late Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known records of the name Birkenstock can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions a "Theodericus de Birkenstocke" in the year 1292, indicating the name's presence in this region during that time.

Another notable early reference to the name Birkenstock appears in the Deutsches Städtebuch, a compendium of German town records from the 14th century. This source mentions a "Henricus Birkenstok" residing in the city of Lübeck in the year 1377.

In the 15th century, the name Birkenstock can be found in various regional records and documents across Germany. For instance, the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical records from the region of Württemberg, mentions a "Conradus Birckenstockh" in the year 1472.

Notable individuals with the surname Birkenstock throughout history include:

1. Johann Birkenstock (1575-1649), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Giessen.

2. Christian Birkenstock (1640-1703), a German composer and organist active in the late 17th century, known for his contributions to the development of the Lutheran church music tradition.

3. Friedrich Birkenstock (1790-1867), a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the Revolutions of 1848-1849.

4. Karl Birkenstock (1824-1892), a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Birkenstock footwear company in 1774, which is still in operation today.

5. Konrad Birkenstock (1902-1989), a German businessman and the grandson of Karl Birkenstock, who played a significant role in the expansion and internationalization of the Birkenstock footwear brand in the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Birkenstock

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

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

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

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