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

Morgenstern, 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 Morgenstern surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morgenstern in America

Morgenstern is the 11493rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morgenstern surname appeared 2,738 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 Morgenstern.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morgenstern 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 Morgenstern

The surname Morgenstern is of German origin, derived from the words "Morgen" meaning morning and "Stern" meaning star. It likely originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century, as a descriptive surname or nickname for someone who rose early in the morning.

The name was initially concentrated in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central parts of the country. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval German records and documents, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae and the Würzburger Urkundenbuch.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Morgenstern was Johann Morgenstern, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1553 to 1619. He was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and published several works on theology and philosophy.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Christian Morgenstern, a German author and poet who lived from 1871 to 1914. He is best known for his humorous and nonsensical poetry, particularly his collection of poems called "Galgenlieder" (Gallows Songs).

In the 16th century, a man named Hans Morgenstern was recorded as a resident of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. Records from that time show that he was a skilled craftsman and a member of the local guild.

The surname Morgenstern can also be found in various historical records from other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland, suggesting that people bearing this name may have migrated or settled in these regions over time.

One notable figure from the Netherlands was Johannes Morgenstern, a Dutch painter who lived from 1597 to 1643. He was known for his landscape paintings and was a member of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, a group of Dutch painters influenced by the Italian artist Caravaggio.

In Switzerland, a man named Johann Morgenstern (1693-1768) was a prominent clockmaker and inventor from the city of Bern. He is credited with developing several innovative clock mechanisms and was highly regarded for his craftsmanship.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morgenstern

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

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

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

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