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

Dunkelberger, 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 Dunkelberger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dunkelberger in America

Dunkelberger is the 19933rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dunkelberger surname appeared 1,346 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 Dunkelberger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dunkelberger 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 Dunkelberger

The surname Dunkelberger is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from a combination of the words "dunkel" meaning "dark" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived near or on a dark or shaded mountain or hill.

One of the earliest known references to the name Dunkelberger can be found in a 16th-century registry of land ownership in the town of Nürnberg, Bavaria. The record lists a Johann Dunkelberger as the owner of a parcel of land in the year 1542. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.

In the 17th century, the name Dunkelberger appears in several church records and municipal documents from various towns and villages in Bavaria. One notable entry is the baptismal record of a Hans Dunkelberger, born in 1673 in the village of Thalheim.

As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Dunkelberger, Dunckelberger, and Dunckelbergher. These variations were likely due to regional dialect differences and the inconsistencies in record-keeping practices of the time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Dunkelberger was Johannes Dunkelberger, a prominent clockmaker and inventor who lived in Nuremberg in the late 16th century. His contributions to the field of timekeeping were significant, and his name is often mentioned in historical accounts of the era.

Another notable figure was Johann Michael Dunkelberger, a respected theologian and philosopher who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1715 in Regensburg, Bavaria, he authored several influential works on religious philosophy and served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt.

In the 19th century, the name Dunkelberger gained recognition through the achievements of Friedrich Dunkelberger, a German architect and urban planner. He was instrumental in the design and construction of several notable buildings and public spaces in Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek art museum, which was completed in 1836.

The Dunkelberger name also has ties to the United States, where it was brought by German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One prominent American with this surname was William Dunkelberger, a successful businessman and philanthropist who lived in Pennsylvania in the late 19th century. He founded the Dunkelberger Charitable Trust, which continues to support various educational and cultural initiatives to this day.

Another noteworthy American with the Dunkelberger name was Johann Heinrich Dunkelberger, a German immigrant who settled in Ohio in the mid-19th century. He became a respected figure in his community and played a significant role in the establishment of several local institutions, including a church and a school.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dunkelberger

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

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

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

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