2000
#9,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,002
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Rothenberg
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "red mountain" or "red castle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,800 Americans carry the last name Rothenberg. That puts it at #12,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rothenberg surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,412
Census rank
#12,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,442 bearers of the surname Rothenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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recorded instances of the Rothenberg name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dated around 1200.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rothenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rothenberg bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rothenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,289
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 77
- Two or more races1.7% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rothenberg
Rothenberg appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,112
+110 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 436 places
2020
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
-670 bearers (-21.5%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,916 | 3,002 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,352 | 3,112 | 1.05 | +110 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 436 places |
| 2020 | #12,175 | 2,442 | 0.82 | -670 bearers (-21.5%) | Down 1,823 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rothenberg surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,352 | #12,175 | -17.6% |
| Count | 3,112 | 2,442 | -21.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.82 | -22.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rothenberg bearers went from 3,112 to 2,442 (-21.5% change). The surname moved down 1,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,352 to #12,175.
FAQ
Rothenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rothenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 2,800 living Americans carry the surname Rothenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,412 residents.
How common is Rothenberg?
Rothenberg ranks #12,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,442 people with the surname Rothenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rothenberg.
Has Rothenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rothenberg went from 3,112 recorded bearers to 2,442. That is a decrease of 670 (-21.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,352 to #12,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Rothenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rothenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rothenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rothenberg (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rothenberg mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "red mountain" or "red castle". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rothenberg (0.82 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Rothenberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.