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

Posner, 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 Posner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Posner in America

Posner is the 10204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Posner surname appeared 3,157 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 Posner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Posner 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 Posner

The surname Posner is of German origin, derived from the word "Posauner" which means "trumpeter" in German. This occupational surname was likely first given to someone who played the trumpet or other brass instruments.

The name Posner can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas of Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed that the name first appeared in written records and documents around this time period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Posner was found in the 14th century Nuremberg Codex, a collection of legal documents and records from the city of Nuremberg. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, there are records of a family named Posner living in the town of Zwickau, in the present-day state of Saxony. One notable member of this family was Johann Posner, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from 1528 to 1597.

Another early bearer of the Posner name was Hans Posner, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his contributions to the development of the organ music tradition in Germany.

In the 18th century, the Posner name appears in various records and documents from different parts of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia. One notable individual from this time period was Johann Friedrich Posner, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1767 to 1836.

As the name spread throughout Germany and Europe, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Posener, Posnehr, and Posnair. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation.

Throughout history, the Posner surname has been associated with individuals from various professions, including musicians, composers, philosophers, and writers. Some other notable figures with the Posner name include Richard Posner, an American legal scholar and judge born in 1939, and Eric Posner, an American legal theorist and professor, born in 1965.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Posner

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

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

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

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