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

Sturm, 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 Sturm surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sturm in America

Sturm is the 3832nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sturm surname appeared 9,242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Sturm.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sturm 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 Sturm

The surname STURM originated in Germany and has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "sturm," meaning "storm" or "tempest." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a fierce or stormy temperament.

The earliest recorded instances of the STURM surname can be found in various medieval documents from the 12th and 13th centuries in regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. One notable reference is in the Codex Diplomaticus Monasterii Sancti Rudberti Salisburgensis, a collection of charters and records from the Benedictine monastery of St. Rupert in Salzburg, Austria, which mentions a "Chunradus Sturm" in the year 1187.

During the 13th century, the name appears in various place names across Germany, such as Sturmfeld (literally "storm field") and Sturmthal (meaning "storm valley"), indicating that some STURM families may have taken their names from the locations where they lived or owned land.

One of the earliest known bearers of the STURM surname was Jakob Sturm (1489-1553), a German statesman and reformer from Strasbourg. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.

Another notable figure was Johann Christoph Sturm (1635-1703), a German educator and philosopher who founded the Gymnasium Illustre in Altdorf, a renowned educational institution in its time.

In the 18th century, Johann Sturm (1742-1786) was a German poet and dramatist from Saxony, known for his poetry collection "Gedichte" and his work as a librarian at the University of Leipzig.

Jacques Charles François Sturm (1803-1855) was a French mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis and is best known for the Sturm's theorem, which provides a method for counting the real roots of a polynomial.

During the 19th century, Ferdinand Sturm (1835-1923) was a German architect who designed notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichspatentamt (Imperial Patent Office) and the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall).

Throughout its history, the STURM surname has been prominent in various fields, including politics, education, literature, mathematics, and architecture, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have borne this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sturm

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

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

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

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