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

Rothermel, 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 Rothermel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rothermel in America

Rothermel is the 12850th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rothermel surname appeared 2,396 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 Rothermel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rothermel 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 Rothermel

The surname Rothermel is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old German words "rot" meaning "red" and "ermel" meaning "sleeve," likely referring to a distinctive red sleeve worn by an early bearer of the name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rothermel name can be found in the Bavarian town records from the 13th century, where a certain Henrich Rothermel is mentioned as a local landowner. The name also appears in various legal documents and property records from that era, indicating its establishment within the region.

As time passed, the Rothermel family spread to other parts of Germany, with some branches eventually migrating to other European countries and even the Americas. Notable individuals with the Rothermel surname include Johann Rothermel (1564-1623), a respected theologian and author from Nuremberg, and Friedrich Rothermel (1796-1869), a prominent painter from Bavaria who was renowned for his historical and religious works.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the Rothermel name was Johann Rothermel, born in 1710 in the Palatinate region of Germany, who later emigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. Another notable American with this surname was Peter F. Rothermel (1817-1895), a renowned historical painter from Pennsylvania, whose works included the famous "Battle of Gettysburg" and "De Soto Discovering the Mississippi."

Other historical figures bearing the Rothermel surname include Wilhelm Rothermel (1834-1907), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, and Rudolf Rothermel (1878-1950), a German military officer who served in both World Wars.

While the Rothermel name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it likely originated as a descriptive surname referring to a distinctive article of clothing worn by an early bearer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rothermel

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

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

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

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