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

Onnen, 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 Onnen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Onnen in America

Onnen is the 42511th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Onnen surname appeared 510 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 Onnen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Onnen 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 Onnen

The surname Onnen is of German origin, and it is believed to have first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "onno," which means "luck" or "fortune."

Onnen was initially a descriptive surname given to individuals who were considered fortunate or lucky. This practice of assigning surnames based on personal characteristics or occupations was common during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Onnen can be found in various historical documents from different parts of Germany. One notable example is the mention of a certain Henrich Onnen in the town records of Lübeck, dated 1389.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Magdeburg, where a family by the name of Onnen was documented as landowners and merchants. This family likely played a significant role in the local economy and politics of the region.

As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Onen, Ohnen, and Önnen. Some of these variations were likely influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Onnen was Hans Onnen (1502-1567), a German theologian and reformer who played a crucial role in the spread of Protestantism in the region of Saxony.

Another prominent figure bearing the name was Johann Onnen (1614-1679), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (Chapel Master) in the court of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Onnen (1735-1809) was a renowned German philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy.

The 19th century saw the rise of Carl Onnen (1820-1892), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded one of the earliest steel manufacturing companies in the Ruhr region.

More recently, in the 20th century, Elke Onnen (1937-2008) was a German actress and author known for her roles in numerous television series and films.

While the surname Onnen is not among the most common in Germany, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs, who have left their mark on German society and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Onnen

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

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

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

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