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

Ramseyer, 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 Ramseyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ramseyer in America

Ramseyer is the 25684th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ramseyer surname appeared 960 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 Ramseyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ramseyer 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 Ramseyer

The surname Ramseyer originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and southern Germany. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.

The name Ramseyer is believed to be derived from the Old German word "rams," meaning "ram" or "male sheep," and the suffix "-eyer," which indicated a person's occupation or place of residence. Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked with rams, possibly a shepherd or a farmer.

One of the earliest known references to the name Ramseyer can be found in the Swiss town of Bern, where records from the 15th century mention a family with this surname. The Ramseyers were likely farmers or shepherds in the rural areas surrounding Bern.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Ramseyer appeared in various records and documents across Switzerland and southern Germany. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johann Ramseyer (1532-1596), a Swiss Protestant theologian, and Hans Ramseyer (1594-1667), a Swiss painter known for his religious works.

As the Ramseyer family spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ramsayer, Ramseier, and Ramsauer. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional differences in pronunciation.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Ramseyer name had become more widespread, with several individuals achieving recognition in various fields. For instance, Carl Ramseyer (1808-1887) was a Swiss politician and jurist who served as the president of the Swiss Federal Council in 1863.

Another notable figure was Johann Conrad Ramseyer (1790-1862), a Swiss architect and engineer who played a significant role in the construction of several important buildings and infrastructure projects in Switzerland.

In the 20th century, the Ramseyer surname continued to be prominent, with individuals like Robert Ramseyer (1909-1986), a Swiss politician who served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council, and Walter Ramseyer (1911-1992), a Swiss physicist and mathematician known for his contributions to the field of quantum mechanics.

Despite its German-Swiss origins, the Ramseyer surname can now be found in various parts of the world, owing to migration and diaspora communities. However, the name's roots and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the Alpine regions of central Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ramseyer

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

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

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

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