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

Rohlfing, 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 Rohlfing surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rohlfing in America

Rohlfing is the 21272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rohlfing surname appeared 1,232 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 Rohlfing.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rohlfing 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 Rohlfing

The surname Rohlfing is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Lower Saxony region of Germany, specifically the areas around the towns of Goslar and Hildesheim. The name is derived from the old German words "rol" meaning "roll" or "wrap" and "ving" meaning "meadow" or "field."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rohlfing appears in a church register from the town of Goslar in 1587, where a man named Hans Rohlfing is listed as a landholder. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical documents from the Hildesheim area, including tax records and legal contracts. One notable example is a land purchase agreement from 1642, signed by a man named Jürgen Rohlfing.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Rohlfing began to spread beyond its original geographic region as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Some prominent individuals with this surname during this period include:

1. Johann Rohlfing (1738-1819), a respected Lutheran minister who served in the town of Einbeck, Lower Saxony.
2. Wilhelm Rohlfing (1802-1878), a German painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
3. Friedrich Rohlfing (1818-1892), a linguist and philologist who specialized in the study of African languages.

As the German diaspora spread across the globe in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Rohlfing was carried to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and South America. Some notable individuals with this surname during this period include:

1. Ernst Rohlfing (1857-1932), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
2. Anna Rohlfing (1878-1964), a German-American artist and teacher who was active in the Chicago art scene.

Throughout its history, the surname Rohlfing has maintained its strong ties to its German origins, with many families tracing their lineage back to the Lower Saxony region. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on various fields, from religion and art to linguistics and architecture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rohlfing

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

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

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

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