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

Rothberg, 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 Rothberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rothberg in America

Rothberg is the 23852nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rothberg surname appeared 1,059 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 Rothberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rothberg 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 Rothberg

The surname Rothberg originates from Germany, where it first emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Germanic root words "rot," meaning "red," and "berg," meaning "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name referring to a red-colored hill or mountain, possibly indicating the presence of iron ore or a reddish soil.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rothberg can be found in the Bavarian archives, dated to the mid-15th century. It appears in a document referring to a certain Hans Rothberg, a landowner from the region of Franconia. The name is also mentioned in a 16th-century manuscript from the city of Nuremberg, which lists a merchant named Jakob Rothberg among the city's affluent guild members.

In the 17th century, the Rothberg family gained prominence in the region of Saxony, where they owned several estates and mills. Notable members include Johann Rothberg (1612-1683), a successful businessman and mayor of the town of Zwickau, and his son, Christian Rothberg (1647-1719), a respected scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Leipzig.

As the name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Rothenberger, Rothberg, and Rothberger. The name is also closely related to the place names Rothenberg and Rothenburg, both of which refer to locations with red-colored terrain or buildings.

In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Rothberg made significant contributions to various fields. These include the philosopher and writer Friedrich Rothberg (1801-1876), the architect and urban planner Emil Rothberg (1832-1901), and the pioneering female physician Anna Rothberg (1855-1932).

Other notable individuals with the surname Rothberg include the German-American chemist and inventor Hermann Rothberg (1873-1945), who held numerous patents in the field of synthetic dyes and plastics, and the award-winning American author and journalist Abraham Rothberg (1892-1973), known for his novels and short stories exploring themes of immigration and Jewish-American identity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rothberg

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

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

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

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