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

Tannenbaum, 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 Tannenbaum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tannenbaum in America

Tannenbaum is the 14374th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tannenbaum surname appeared 2,080 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 Tannenbaum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tannenbaum 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 Tannenbaum

The surname Tannenbaum originated in Germany and Austria during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "Tanne" meaning fir tree and "Baum" meaning tree, thus translating to "fir tree" or "pine tree." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a prominent fir or pine tree or forest.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Tannenbaum date back to the 13th century in various German and Austrian regions. It was sometimes spelled variations like Tannenbawm, Tannbaum, or Tannebaum in old records and manuscripts. The name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of medieval documents from Brandenburg, Prussia.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Tannenbaum, a merchant and landowner in Nuremberg, Germany, who was documented in the city's records in the late 14th century. Another early figure was Hans Tannenbaum, a Protestant reformer and associate of Martin Luther, who lived in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name Tannenbaum appeared in the records of several German and Austrian towns and villages, often in connection with landowners, farmers, or foresters. For example, a family named Tannenbaum was recorded as owning a parcel of land in the village of Schönbrunn, near Vienna, in the 1650s.

One notable bearer of the name was Johann Tannenbaum, a German composer and organist who lived from 1711 to 1783. He is best known for his choral works and organ compositions, which were influential in the Baroque era.

During the 19th century, several individuals named Tannenbaum made significant contributions in various fields. Gustav Tannenbaum (1808-1876) was a German author and journalist who wrote extensively on political and social issues. Adelheid Tannenbaum (1825-1902) was an Austrian educator and women's rights activist who founded several schools for girls in Vienna.

Another prominent figure with the surname Tannenbaum was Karl Tannenbaum (1849-1921), a German-American inventor and engineer who designed early electric motors and generators. He held numerous patents and played a key role in the development of electrical technology in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tannenbaum

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

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

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

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