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

Rockenstein, 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 Rockenstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rockenstein in America

Rockenstein is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rockenstein surname appeared 132 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 Rockenstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rockenstein 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 Rockenstein

The surname Rockenstein is of German origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Rockenstein, located in the southern region of Germany. The name is a combination of the German words "rocke," meaning a rock or boulder, and "stein," meaning stone, essentially translating to "rock stone."

Rockenstein is believed to have been first recorded in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the year 1183. The entry mentions a "Johannes de Rockenstein," a landowner from the town of Rockenstein.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Wilhelm von Rockenstein, a knight who fought in the Crusades during the 13th century. His name is documented in the chronicles of the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic military order.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Stadtbücher, or town books, of the city of Nuremberg, with a reference to a merchant named Hans Rockenstein who traded in spices and textiles.

The name Rockenstein has also been associated with nobility throughout history. In the 16th century, a noble family by the name of Rockenstein resided in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, as evidenced by their coat of arms and mentions in local records.

Notable individuals with the surname Rockenstein include:

1. Johann Christoph Rockenstein (1673-1745), a German theologian and author known for his works on church history.
2. Friedrich Wilhelm Rockenstein (1805-1879), a German landscape painter renowned for his depictions of the Black Forest region.
3. Elise Rockenstein (1826-1902), a German-American writer and educator who founded one of the first kindergartens in the United States.
4. Gustav Rockenstein (1849-1924), a German engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of textile machinery.
5. Theodor Rockenstein (1892-1968), a German-American composer and conductor who worked extensively in Hollywood, contributing scores to various films and television shows.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rockenstein

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

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

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

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