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

Bontrager, 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 Bontrager surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bontrager in America

Bontrager is the 4167th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bontrager surname appeared 8,507 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Bontrager.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bontrager 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 Bontrager

The surname Bontrager is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the German words "bont" meaning "mottled" or "pied," and "tragen" meaning "to carry" or "to bear." Together, these words suggest that the name may have referred to someone who carried or transported goods of various colors or patterns.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bontrager can be found in the town records of Strasbourg, France, dating back to the 16th century. The name was spelled as "Bontragher" in these records, which documented individuals living and working in the region at that time.

In the 17th century, the name Bontrager appeared in the church records of the Palatinate region of Germany, suggesting that the family had established roots in this area. It is possible that some members of the Bontrager family migrated from the Palatinate to other parts of Europe or even to the Americas during this time period.

One notable individual bearing the Bontrager surname was Hans Bontrager, a merchant and tradesman who lived in the town of Heidelberg, Germany, in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the transportation and sale of various goods, which aligns with the potential meaning of the surname.

Another prominent figure was Johann Bontrager, a scholar and theologian who lived in the late 17th century. He was born in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, in 1657 and later became a professor of theology at the University of Tübingen, where he taught until his death in 1723.

In the 18th century, the Bontrager name can be found in the records of the Mennonite communities that settled in Pennsylvania, USA. One such individual was Jacob Bontrager, who was born in 1732 in Steinsfurt, Germany, and later immigrated to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he and his family were among the early Mennonite settlers in the region.

During the 19th century, the Bontrager surname continued to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in communities of German immigrants in North America. One notable figure from this period was Wilhelm Bontrager, a German-American entrepreneur and businessman who was born in 1829 in Württemberg, Germany, and later founded a successful brewing company in St. Louis, Missouri.

Throughout history, the Bontrager surname has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, tradesmen, scholars, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bontrager

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

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

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

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