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

Kestenbaum, 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 Kestenbaum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kestenbaum in America

Kestenbaum is the 31689th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kestenbaum surname appeared 729 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 Kestenbaum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kestenbaum 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 Kestenbaum

The surname Kestenbaum is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German words "kesten" meaning "chestnut tree" and "boum" meaning "tree." It is believed to have originated around the 13th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone who lived near or owned land with chestnut trees.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the late 15th century in the town of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Kestenbaum is mentioned in a legal document from 1482. Another early record is found in the town of Augsburg, where a Peter Kestenbaum is listed in a tax register from 1512.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Kestenbaumer, Kestenbömer, and Kestenböhmer, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. One notable figure from this period is Christoph Kestenbaum (1525-1589), a Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg.

The name Kestenbaum gradually spread across different regions of Germany, and by the 17th century, it was also found in parts of Austria and Switzerland. In the town of Bamberg, a Hans Kestenbaum (1632-1699) is recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner.

As the centuries passed, the name continued to be associated with various professions and social classes. In the 18th century, Johann Kestenbaum (1718-1788) was a respected artist and engraver from Berlin, while in the 19th century, Wilhelm Kestenbaum (1842-1912) was a renowned engineer and inventor from Frankfurt.

Other notable individuals with the surname Kestenbaum include the German-American philosopher and author Max Kestenbaum (1869-1942), the Austrian composer and conductor Rudolf Kestenbaum (1887-1962), and the American business tycoon and philanthropist Abraham Kestenbaum (1901-1988).

While the name Kestenbaum is now found globally, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it originated as a descriptive surname related to the chestnut tree. The name has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kestenbaum

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

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

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

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