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

Iselin, 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 Iselin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Iselin in America

Iselin is the 55741st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Iselin surname appeared 368 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 Iselin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Iselin 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 Iselin

The surname ISELIN originated in Switzerland, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Isel," which refers to a small river or stream.

The name was first recorded in the Swiss canton of Bern, where it was likely associated with a specific location or geographic feature near a river or stream. Some of the earliest recorded variations of the name include Iselin, Islen, and Yslen.

In the 14th century, the ISELIN name appeared in various historical documents and records in Switzerland, including tax rolls, property deeds, and church records. One notable early bearer of the name was Hans Iselin, a merchant and landowner who lived in Bern in the late 15th century.

As the ISELIN family spread throughout Switzerland and beyond, the name took on different spellings and variations. In the 16th century, the name was recorded as Yselyn and Iselin in various parts of the country.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ISELIN name outside of Switzerland was in the 17th century, when a family bearing the name settled in the German city of Frankfurt. This branch of the family later migrated to the American colonies in the 18th century, with Johann Iselin (1655-1737) being among the first to arrive in Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, the ISELIN name gained prominence in the United States with the success of several notable individuals. Adrian Iselin (1818-1905) was a Swiss-born American banker and financier who played a key role in the development of New York City's transportation infrastructure.

Another prominent bearer of the ISELIN name was Isaac Iselin (1786-1857), a Swiss-American merchant and philanthropist who founded the Iselin & Company trading firm in New York City. His son, Adrian Georg Iselin (1818-1905), followed in his footsteps and became a successful banker and financier.

In the 20th century, the ISELIN name continued to be associated with notable figures in various fields. C. Oliver Iselin (1904-1971) was an American oceanographer and marine biologist who made significant contributions to the study of ocean currents and marine life.

Additionally, John Henry Iselin (1891-1976) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist who served as the president of the Iselin & Company trading firm and was actively involved in various charitable organizations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Iselin

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

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

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

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