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

Ilse, 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 Ilse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ilse in America

Ilse is the 82044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ilse surname appeared 230 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 Ilse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ilse 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 Ilse

The surname Ilse is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of the country during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "ile," which means "willow tree." This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to an area or location where willow trees were particularly abundant or a landmark of some kind involving these trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ilse appears in the Codex Traditionum Fuldensium, a medieval cartulary from the Fulda monastery in present-day Hesse, Germany, dating back to the 8th century. This document mentions an individual named "Iluuini," which is believed to be a variation of the name Ilse.

In the 13th century, there are records of a place called "Ylse" or "Ilse" near the town of Lüneburg in Lower Saxony, Germany. This place name likely contributed to the surname's development and spread in the surrounding regions.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Ilse include:

1. Johann Ilse (1597-1647), a German Protestant theologian and academic who served as the rector of the University of Leipzig.
2. Jakob Ilse (1611-1662), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and religious works.
3. Johann Adam Ilse (1730-1798), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Elector of Saxony.
4. Marie Ilse Marquardt (1888-1966), a German painter and graphic artist associated with the Expressionist movement.
5. Grete Ilse Witt (1920-2005), a German track and field athlete who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and won a gold medal in the high jump.

The surname Ilse has also been connected to various place names throughout Germany, such as Ilsenburg, a town in Saxony-Anhalt, and Ilsede, a municipality in Lower Saxony. These place names likely derive from the same root as the surname, further reinforcing its geographical origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ilse

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

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

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

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