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

Molthen, 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 Molthen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Molthen in America

Molthen is the 120187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Molthen surname appeared 144 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 Molthen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Molthen 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 Molthen

The surname MOLTHEN is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was initially spelled as "Molten" or "Molthen".

The name MOLTHEN is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "molt", which means "dust" or "soil". This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname initially given to those who worked with soil or in dusty environments, such as millers or farmers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOLTHEN surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Gräfenberg in Bavaria, which mentions a Johannes Molthen in the year 1428.

During the 16th century, the MOLTHEN name appeared in various records across Germany, including the Reformationsregister (Reformation registers) of the city of Nuremberg, which listed a Hans Molthen in 1524.

In the 17th century, the MOLTHEN surname was associated with several notable individuals, such as Johann Molthen (1598-1672), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony, and Georg Molthen (1633-1705), a German composer and organist from Hildesheim.

Another prominent figure bearing the MOLTHEN name was Friedrich Molthen (1768-1835), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and calculus.

Later in the 19th century, the MOLTHEN surname gained recognition through the works of the German writer and poet, Wilhelm Molthen (1837-1903), whose literary works explored themes of nature and romanticism.

In addition to these notable individuals, the MOLTHEN surname has been linked to several place names in Germany, such as Molthen, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Molten, a hamlet in the city of Zittau in Saxony.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Molthen

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

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

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

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