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

Rothenberg, 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 Rothenberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rothenberg in America

Rothenberg is the 10352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rothenberg surname appeared 3,112 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rothenberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rothenberg 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 Rothenberg

The surname Rothenberg is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "rot" meaning "red" and "berg" meaning "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person or family residing near a reddish-colored hill or mountainous region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rothenberg name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dated around 1200. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Rotenberg" and "Rothenberger," indicating its evolution over time.

In the 14th century, the Rothenberg name is mentioned in the Biberacher Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the town of Biberach in southwestern Germany. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during that period.

Notable individuals with the surname Rothenberg include Johann Rothenberg, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century (1525-1588). Another prominent figure was Friedrich von Rothenberg, a Prussian military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars (1770-1838).

In the 19th century, the Rothenberg name gained further recognition with the birth of Julius Rothenberg (1820-1876), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who established successful textile mills in Saxony.

One of the most famous individuals with the Rothenberg surname was Albert Rothenberg, a renowned American psychologist and researcher in the field of creativity (1926-2005). His work on the cognitive processes involved in creative thinking made significant contributions to the understanding of human creativity.

Another notable figure was Hans Rothenberg, a German-born American artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings (1910-1986). His works are held in collections at institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

While the Rothenberg surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, where it has been adopted by individuals of different ethnic backgrounds.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rothenberg

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

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

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

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