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

Tesmer, 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 Tesmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tesmer in America

Tesmer is the 32079th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tesmer surname appeared 719 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tesmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tesmer 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 Tesmer

The surname Tesmer has its origins in Germany, emerging in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "tesmar," which translates to "tax collector" or "toll gatherer." This occupation-based surname likely originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas near trade routes or river crossings where tolls were commonly collected.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tesmer surname can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a 16th-century world history book. The name appears in a list of notable citizens from the city of Nuremberg, suggesting that the Tesmer family had achieved some prominence in the region by that time.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Tesmer family settled in the town of Wittenberg, which was a center of the Protestant Reformation. Johann Tesmer (1602-1674), a Lutheran minister and theologian, served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and was known for his writings on religious topics.

The Tesmer name also appears in historical records from the Duchy of Saxony, where it was sometimes spelled as "Tesmehr" or "Tesmehr." One notable figure from this region was Friedrich Tesmer (1731-1804), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Dresden.

During the 19th century, the Tesmer surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond as families emigrated in search of new opportunities. Karl Tesmer (1821-1891), a German-born industrialist, established a successful manufacturing company in Pennsylvania, United States, after immigrating in the mid-1800s.

Another notable individual with the Tesmer surname was Anna Tesmer (1879-1957), a German-American artist and illustrator. She was born in Berlin but later moved to New York City, where she became known for her illustrations in children's books and magazines.

While the Tesmer surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tesmer

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

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

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

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