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

Rockefeller, 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 Rockefeller surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rockefeller in America

Rockefeller is the 20449th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rockefeller surname appeared 1,299 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 Rockefeller.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rockefeller 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 Rockefeller

The surname Rockefeller originated in Germany during the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Rocke" meaning a simple garment or cloak, and "feller" meaning a dealer or seller. The name was likely given to someone who traded in such cloaks or garments.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rockefeller name can be found in the church records of the village of Neuwied, located in the Rhineland region of Germany, dating back to 1569. Here, a Johann Peter Rockefeller is mentioned as a resident of the village.

In the 17th century, the name began to appear in various areas across Germany, including the Palatinate region. A notable early bearer of the name was Johann Matthias Rockefeller, born in 1675 in the town of Oppau, who was a respected tailor and cloth merchant.

The Rockefellers began migrating to America in the early 18th century, with one of the first recorded arrivals being Johann Peter Rockefeller, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1723. He was followed by several other Rockefeller families who established themselves in various parts of the American colonies, particularly in New York and Pennsylvania.

One of the most famous individuals with the Rockefeller surname was John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), the American business magnate and philanthropist who founded the Standard Oil Company and became one of the wealthiest individuals in modern history.

Other notable Rockefellers throughout history include:

1. William Rockefeller (1810-1906), an American businessman and co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, and the brother of John D. Rockefeller.

2. John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874-1960), an American businessman, philanthropist, and the only son of John D. Rockefeller. He played a prominent role in the family's philanthropic endeavors.

3. Nelson Rockefeller (1908-1979), an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 41st Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford.

4. Winthrop Rockefeller (1912-1973), an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 37th Governor of Arkansas from 1967 to 1971.

5. David Rockefeller (1915-2017), an American banker and philanthropist who served as the chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation. He was the eldest son of John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rockefeller

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

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

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

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