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

Trost, 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 Trost surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Trost in America

Trost is the 8385th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Trost surname appeared 3,948 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 Trost.

We can also compare 2010 data for Trost 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 Trost

The surname Trost is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "trost," which means "comfort" or "consolation." It first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries, in various regions of what is now modern-day Germany.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493. The chronicles mention a Johann Trost, a notable figure from the city of Nuremberg during that era.

The name Trost is believed to have originally been an occupational surname, given to individuals who provided comfort or solace to others, perhaps as clergymen, counselors, or healers. It may have also been used as a descriptive surname for individuals known for their comforting or reassuring demeanor.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johannes Trost, a German composer and organist who lived from around 1516 to 1554. He is considered one of the earliest significant composers of the Protestant Reformation era.

Another historical figure with the surname Trost was Kaspar Trost, a German architect and sculptor who lived from 1567 to 1637. He was known for his work on various churches and buildings in the German city of Dresden.

In the 18th century, Johann Trost (1718-1768) was a renowned German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.

The name Trost has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Trostberg, a town in Bavaria, and Trostin, a village in Saxony-Anhalt. These place names may have influenced the spread and regional variations of the surname over time.

Other notable bearers of the Trost surname include the German-American painter and illustrator Walter Trost (1889-1971), known for his depictions of wildlife and nature scenes, and the German-born American chemist and inventor Charles Trost (1858-1935), who held numerous patents related to chemical processes and explosives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Trost

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

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

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

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