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

Rosenau, 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 Rosenau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rosenau in America

Rosenau is the 19105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rosenau surname appeared 1,424 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 Rosenau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rosenau 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 Rosenau

The surname Rosenau originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Austria. It is believed to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, likely between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Rosenau is a locational surname, meaning it was derived from a place name. It is thought to be a combination of two German words: "Rose," referring to the flower, and "Au," meaning a meadow or a riverine area. Thus, Rosenau could be translated to mean "Rose Meadow" or "Rose Riverbank."

One of the earliest known mentions of the name Rosenau can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Rosenau, located in what is now the state of Saxony, Germany. This town's name is believed to have contributed to the formation of the surname.

Another historical reference to the name Rosenau comes from the Rosenau Castle, a 16th-century fortress located in the town of Rosenau, near the city of Graz in modern-day Austria. This castle was once the residence of the noble Rosenau family, suggesting that the surname may have been associated with nobility in that region.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rosenau was Hans Rosenau, a merchant from the city of Nuremberg, who lived in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Johann Rosenau, a German theologian and author who was born in 1609 and died in 1689.

In the 18th century, Johann Georg Rosenau (1732-1807) was a prominent German writer and philosopher, known for his contributions to the Enlightenment movement. Around the same time, Johann Christian Rosenau (1751-1823) was a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to church music.

The 19th century saw the rise of Carl Rosenau (1825-1893), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in the United States, including the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.

As the surname Rosenau spread across Europe and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Rosenauer, Rosenow, and Rosnau, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the adoption of the name in different countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rosenau

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

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

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

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