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

Rettberg, 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 Rettberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rettberg in America

Rettberg is the 54990th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rettberg surname appeared 374 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 Rettberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rettberg 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 Rettberg

The surname RETTBERG has its origins in Germany, traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old German words "ret" meaning "reed" and "berg" signifying "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person residing near a hill or mountain covered in reeds or marshland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RETTBERG can be found in the historical records of the town of Rettberg, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, Germany. This town's name likely served as the basis for the surname, with individuals adopting the place name as their family name, a common practice during that era.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the RETTBERG name was Johannes RETTBERG, a respected scholar and theologian born in 1419 in the town of Rettberg. His scholarly works on religious texts and commentaries were widely read and influential during the Renaissance period.

Another prominent individual with the surname RETTBERG was Friedrich Wilhelm RETTBERG, a German historian and jurist who lived from 1805 to 1849. He authored several books on German history and legal systems, contributing significantly to the understanding of these subjects during his time.

In the 19th century, Carl RETTBERG, born in 1820 and died in 1892, was a renowned German architect known for his influential designs and contributions to the architectural landscape of several German cities, including Hamburg and Berlin.

Towards the latter part of the 19th century, the RETTBERG surname also found its way to the United States through German immigration. One notable individual was August RETTBERG, born in 1845 in Germany, who emigrated to the United States and became a successful businessman and entrepreneur in the city of Chicago.

Throughout its history, the surname RETTBERG has undergone various spelling variations, including Rettberge, Retberg, and Retberge, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolution over time. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, rooted in the German language and geographic references.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rettberg

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!