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

Effinger, 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 Effinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Effinger in America

Effinger is the 17605th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Effinger surname appeared 1,596 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Effinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Effinger 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 Effinger

The surname Effinger has its origins in Germany, emerging sometime during the Middle Ages, likely around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "effing," which referred to a small settlement or hamlet. This suggests that the name may have been used to identify someone who hailed from a particular village or rural area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Effinger can be found in the Würzburg archives, where a Hans Effinger was mentioned in a document dated 1387. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 14th century in the region now known as Bavaria.

In the 15th century, there are records of an Effinger family residing in the town of Ulm, located in the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg. A notable member of this family was Johannes Effinger, a merchant and city councilor who lived from 1435 to 1502.

During the 16th century, the name Effinger appears to have spread beyond its initial German roots. In 1562, a man named Pieter Effinger was listed as a resident of Antwerp, in the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium). This suggests that the name had begun to migrate westward, likely due to trade or other economic factors.

One of the most prominent individuals bearing the Effinger name was Johann Christian Effinger, a German theologian and educator who lived from 1681 to 1735. He served as the rector of the prestigious Gymnasium Illustre in Arnstadt and was renowned for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy.

Another notable figure was Carl Effinger, a German-American artist and illustrator who was born in 1846 and died in 1920. He is best known for his illustrations in books and magazines, particularly his depictions of scenes from the American Old West.

In the 19th century, the Effinger name also appears in records from Switzerland, indicating that it had spread to various German-speaking regions. One example is Jakob Effinger, a Swiss politician and lawyer who lived from 1810 to 1872 and served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council.

While the Effinger surname has its roots in Germany, it is important to note that over the centuries, it has been carried and adopted by individuals in various parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the movement and migration of people throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Effinger

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

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

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

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