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

Portner, 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 Portner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Portner in America

Portner is the 25272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Portner surname appeared 980 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 Portner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Portner 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 Portner

The surname PORTNER has its origins in Germany, and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Portner," which means "gatekeeper" or "doorkeeper." The name likely originated from an occupation, referring to someone who worked as a gatekeeper or porter at a castle, monastery, or other important building.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PORTNER can be found in a 1543 document from the city of Cologne, which mentions a "Hans Portner." This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the mid-16th century.

In the 17th century, the PORTNER surname appeared in various church records and municipal documents across German-speaking regions. For example, a "Johann Portner" was born in Nuremberg in 1621, while a "Georg Portner" was recorded as a resident of Vienna in 1655.

The name PORTNER has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One prominent example is Johann Georg Portner (1677-1735), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

Another historical figure with the surname PORTNER was Sebastian Portner (1760-1828), a German composer and organist who served as the kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Ansbach, Germany.

In the 19th century, the PORTNER name gained recognition with August Portner (1822-1891), a German-American brewer who founded the Portner Brewing Company in Alexandria, Virginia. His brewery played a significant role in the development of the American brewing industry.

Other notable individuals with the surname PORTNER include Karl Portner (1856-1919), a German chemist and inventor who developed several important industrial processes, and Theodor Portner (1890-1968), a Swiss architect renowned for his work in modernist and functionalist styles.

While the PORTNER name has German roots, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration. However, its historical origins can be traced back to the occupation of gatekeepers and doorkeepers in German-speaking regions during the 16th century and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Portner

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

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

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

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