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

Oetjen, 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 Oetjen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oetjen in America

Oetjen is the 62903rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oetjen surname appeared 318 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 Oetjen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oetjen 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 Oetjen

The surname OETJEN has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "Odinga," which referred to a person from the region of Odin or Odingen. This name likely evolved into various spellings such as Oetjen, Oetgen, Otjen, and Ötjen over time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OETJEN can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, Germany. In the year 1396, a certain Johann Oetjen was mentioned as a landowner in the village of Neuenkirchen.

In the 16th century, the name OETJEN appeared in several church records and municipal documents across northern Germany. For instance, Hans Oetjen was a prominent merchant in the city of Lübeck, born around 1510. Similarly, Greta Oetjen, born in 1542, was a respected midwife in the town of Oldenburg.

As the OETJEN family spread across different regions, the name took on various local spellings. In the 18th century, a branch of the family in the Duchy of Holstein adopted the spelling "Ötjen," which is still found in that area today.

One notable figure bearing the OETJEN name was Johann Peter Oetjen, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1763. He served as a professor at the University of Göttingen and was known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy.

Another significant individual was Wilhelm Oetjen, born in 1825 in the city of Bremen. He was a successful shipbuilder and entrepreneur, establishing one of the largest shipyards in northern Germany during the late 19th century.

In the realm of literature, Hinrich Oetjen (1875-1957) was a renowned Low German author and poet from Schleswig-Holstein. His works played a crucial role in preserving and promoting the Low German language and culture.

The name OETJEN also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. In the late 19th century, families with this surname settled in various countries, including the United States, Australia, and South Africa.

Overall, the surname OETJEN has a rich history spanning several centuries, originating from northern Germany and carrying various regional spellings and associations across different areas and periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oetjen

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

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

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

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