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

Odenwald, 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 Odenwald surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Odenwald in America

Odenwald is the 71886th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Odenwald surname appeared 271 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 Odenwald.

We can also compare 2010 data for Odenwald 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 Odenwald

The surname Odenwald is of German origin, derived from the geographic name of the Odenwald, a low mountain range in southern Hesse, Germany. The name itself translates to "deserted forest" or "wasteland forest" from the Old High German words "ödi" meaning "deserted" and "wald" meaning "forest."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Odenwald can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the Odenwald mountain range. Historical records from this period often referred to individuals by their place of origin or residence, which led to the adoption of surnames derived from geographical locations.

One notable early reference to the name Odenwald can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Principality of Anhalt, which includes mentions of individuals with the surname Odenwald in the 14th century. Additionally, the Odenwald name appears in the Hessisches Klosterbuch, a compendium of monastic records from the region of Hesse, dating back to the 15th century.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Odenwald is Johannes Odenwald, a scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century and served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. Another notable figure was Heinrich Odenwald, a 16th-century German cartographer and surveyor who contributed to the mapping of various regions in central Europe.

During the 17th century, the Odenwald surname gained prominence with the rise of Johann Friedrich Odenwald (1618-1689), a German lawyer and politician who served as a councilor to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. His son, Johann Ludwig Odenwald (1652-1721), followed in his footsteps and became a respected jurist and legal scholar.

In the 18th century, the name Odenwald was associated with the family of Johann Philipp Odenwald (1715-1789), a prominent merchant and entrepreneur from Frankfurt am Main. His descendants went on to establish successful businesses and contribute to the cultural and economic development of the region.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Odenwald surname continued to be represented in various fields, including academia, literature, and the arts. Notable figures from this period include the German writer and poet Wilhelm Odenwald (1835-1911) and the philosopher and educator Ernst Odenwald (1867-1942).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Odenwald

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

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

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

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