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

Eigen, 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 Eigen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eigen in America

Eigen is the 88336th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eigen surname appeared 210 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 Eigen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eigen 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 Eigen

The surname Eigen is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "eigen," meaning "own" or "self." It first emerged as a surname in the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Eigen surname can be found in the Zivilstandsregister (Civil Registry) of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Eigen was mentioned in 1388. The name was also present in other historical records from the region, such as the Heidelberg University matriculation records from the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the surname Eigen appeared in various towns and villages across southern Germany, particularly in the areas around Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Karlsruhe. Some notable individuals bearing this surname from this era include Johannes Eigen (1537-1614), a Lutheran theologian and writer from Nuremberg, and Hans Eigen (1572-1638), a merchant and landowner from Heidelberg.

As the centuries progressed, the Eigen surname spread to other parts of German-speaking Europe, including Switzerland and Austria. One notable Swiss bearer of the name was Jakob Eigen (1789-1867), a politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council.

In the 19th century, the Eigen surname began to appear in various records and documents across the German-speaking world, including the Prussian census of 1871. During this period, several individuals with this surname made notable contributions in various fields, such as Friedrich Eigen (1853-1928), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin.

Another significant figure was Albert Eigen (1868-1942), a German chemist and academic who made important contributions to the field of physical chemistry. He was born in Heringen, Germany, and spent much of his career at the University of Göttingen.

Lastly, one of the most renowned individuals with the Eigen surname is Manfred Eigen (1927-2019), a German biophysical chemist and Nobel Laureate. Born in Bochum, he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967 for his work on measuring incredibly fast chemical reactions and their mechanisms. His groundbreaking research paved the way for a better understanding of many fundamental chemical processes in biological systems.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eigen

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

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

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

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