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

Ritzenthaler, 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 Ritzenthaler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ritzenthaler in America

Ritzenthaler is the 49999th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ritzenthaler surname appeared 419 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 Ritzenthaler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ritzenthaler 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 Ritzenthaler

The surname Ritzenthaler has its origins in Germany, emerging in the late medieval period around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to have originated from a combination of two German words, "ritzen," meaning to scratch or engrave, and "thaler," referring to a valley or dale. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived or worked in a valley where engraving or carving activities took place.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ritzenthaler name can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, where a certain Johannes Ritzenthaler was mentioned as a resident in the year 1472. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during that time.

The name Ritzenthaler has also been linked to various place names in Germany, such as Ritzenthal, a village in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and Ritzendorf, a municipality in the district of Lichtenfels, Bavaria. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals bearing the Ritzenthaler surname throughout history include Johann Ritzenthaler (1596-1677), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who served as a minister in Nuremberg. Another individual of note was Friedrich Ritzenthaler (1701-1776), a German architect and sculptor who contributed to the design and construction of several churches and buildings in the Franconian region of Bavaria.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Theodor Ritzenthaler (1821-1898), a German entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Ritzenthaler & Co. textile manufacturing company in Augsburg, which became one of the largest textile producers in Bavaria.

Moving into the 20th century, one can find references to Karl Ritzenthaler (1890-1972), a German engineer and inventor who held several patents related to automobile and aircraft technology, working for companies like Daimler-Benz and Messerschmitt during his career.

While the Ritzenthaler surname is predominantly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and diaspora over the centuries, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging in different regions and languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ritzenthaler

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

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

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

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