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

Eschenfelder, 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 Eschenfelder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eschenfelder in America

Eschenfelder is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eschenfelder surname appeared 153 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 Eschenfelder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eschenfelder 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 Eschenfelder

The surname Eschenfelder has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name, derived from the German words "Esche" meaning ash tree, and "Feld" meaning field, suggesting that the name's bearers hailed from an area known for its ash tree fields or groves.

One of the earliest known records of the name appears in the town of Nürnberg in Bavaria, where an Ulrich Eschenfelder is mentioned in a land registry from 1387. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region of southern Germany.

As the name spread throughout German-speaking lands, various spellings emerged, such as Eschenfeldt, Aschenfelder, and Eschenfelter. These variations likely arose from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

In the 16th century, an Eschenfelder family is documented as residing in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval city in Bavaria. Hans Eschenfelder, a merchant born in 1521, is recorded as having played a role in the town's affairs during the turbulent years of the Protestant Reformation.

Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Eschenfelder, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1597 to 1669. He served as a pastor in various towns in Saxony and published several works on religious topics.

In the 18th century, a family of Eschenfelders was known to have lived in the town of Marburg, in the German state of Hesse. One member, Georg Eschenfelder (1712-1788), was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge and professor of law at the University of Marburg.

As German immigrants began to arrive in North America in the 19th century, the Eschenfelder name also took root in new lands. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann Eschenfelder, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1832 after emigrating from the Palatinate region of Germany.

Another notable figure was Friedrich Eschenfelder, a German-American artist and engraver who lived from 1825 to 1890. He was known for his intricate engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects, and his work can be found in collections across the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eschenfelder

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

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

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

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