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

Handler, 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 Handler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Handler in America

Handler is the 12510th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Handler surname appeared 2,478 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 Handler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Handler 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 Handler

The surname Handler is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 14th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is derived from the German word "Händler," which means "trader" or "merchant." The name was likely given as an occupational surname to individuals who worked as traders or merchants.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Handler can be found in the Reichsteuerbücher (Imperial Tax Books) of 1497, where a Hans Handler was listed as a resident of Nürnberg, a prominent trading center in medieval Germany. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records across German-speaking regions. For instance, a document from 1541 in the city archives of Augsburg mentions a Johann Handler, a merchant dealing in textiles.

As the name spread across Europe, various spelling variations emerged, such as Hendler, Händler, and Haendler. Some of these variations can be found in historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries in regions like Austria, Switzerland, and parts of modern-day Poland and Czechia.

One notable figure bearing the Handler surname was Johann Jakob Handler (1718-1790), a German painter and engraver who was active in the Baroque and Rococo periods. His works can be found in various art collections across Europe.

Another individual of note was Johann Baptist Handler (1765-1837), an Austrian composer and music teacher who lived during the Classical period. He was a contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and contributed to the development of music education in Vienna.

In the 19th century, the Handler surname appeared in records from the United States, likely due to German immigration during this period. One early example is Jacob Handler (1820-1892), a German-born immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a farmer.

Another notable figure was Carl Handler (1828-1890), a German-American inventor and engineer who developed the first successful pneumatic tube system for transporting mail and parcels in major cities like Boston and New York.

The name Handler continued to be associated with various professions and trades throughout its history, reflecting its occupational origins as a surname for merchants and traders.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Handler

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

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

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

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