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

Tober, 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 Tober surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tober in America

Tober is the 17541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tober surname appeared 1,604 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 Tober.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tober 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 Tober

The surname Tober originated in Germany, likely appearing in the late Middle Ages around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "tobe" or "tover," meaning frenzy or madness. This suggests the name may have been given as a nickname to someone with a wild or eccentric personality.

The earliest recorded instances of the Tober surname can be traced back to various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Hans Tober, born in Nuremberg in 1492, and Konrad Tober, a farmer from the village of Tübingen, mentioned in records from 1518.

In the 16th century, the Tober name appeared in several historical records, such as the Kirchenbücher (church books) of various German towns and villages. One notable mention is Johann Tober, a blacksmith from Heidelberg, who is recorded in a guild register from 1583.

As the Tober family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the name underwent some variations in spelling, including Tober, Tober, and Töber. These variations often reflected regional dialects and scribal preferences.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Tober name outside of Germany was Hans Tober, a merchant from Ulm who settled in Antwerp, Belgium, in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Jakob Tober, a Lutheran pastor from Saxony, who lived from 1621 to 1698 and authored several theological works.

In the 18th century, the Tober name gained some prominence in the arts and sciences. Johann Christoph Tober (1718-1789) was a German composer and organist, known for his sacred choral works. Meanwhile, Christian Gottlieb Tober (1745-1810) was a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.

Another influential figure was Johann Tober (1786-1862), a German philosopher and educator who advocated for educational reform and the integration of physical education into school curricula.

As the Tober family continued to spread, the name appeared in various parts of Europe and beyond, with some bearers achieving notable status in their respective fields. For example, Wilhelm Tober (1845-1912) was a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tober

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

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

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

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