Unrau last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Unrau

A Germanic surname referring to an area densely covered with reeds or rushes.

Unrau, 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 Unrau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Unrau in America

Unrau is the 78567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Unrau surname appeared 243 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 Unrau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Unrau 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 78567 77742 1.06%
Count 243 229 5.93%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.08 0.00%

The history of the last name Unrau

The surname Unrau originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Low German words "un" meaning "un-" or "non-" and "rou" meaning "quiet" or "peaceful". Thus, the name likely referred to someone who was considered unquiet or restless.

The earliest recorded instance of the Unrau name can be found in the town of Nürnberg, Bavaria, in 1587, where a certain Hanns Unrau was listed in church records. Other early mentions include Hans Unrau in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1612, and Gerhart Unrau in Hamburg in 1631.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Unraus migrated from Germany to neighboring regions such as the Netherlands, Poland, and Russia. Some notable bearers of the name during this period include Johann Unrau (1670-1742), a Prussian merchant who established trade routes in the Baltic region, and Katherina Unrau (1712-1789), a Dutch midwife known for her pioneering work in obstetrics.

In the late 18th century, a significant number of Unraus joined the wave of German Mennonite migration to Russia, settling in colonies along the Volga River and in Ukraine. One prominent figure from this group was Jakob Unrau (1768-1835), a respected leader and minister in the Molotschna Mennonite colony in present-day Ukraine.

The 19th century saw many Unraus leave Russia due to increasing tensions and military conscription, with many families relocating to Canada and the United States. Among these immigrants was David Unrau (1837-1923), a pioneer farmer who established one of the first Mennonite settlements in Manitoba, Canada.

Other notable Unraus throughout history include Friedrich Unrau (1892-1970), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscape works, and Heinrich Unrau (1905-1976), a Mennonite theologian and educator who served as the president of the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Winnipeg, Canada.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Unrau

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

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 Unrau was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.47% 232
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.06% 5
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Unrau has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.47% 97.38% -1.98%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 2.06% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Unrau last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/unrau-surname-popularity/.

"Unrau last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/unrau-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Unrau last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/unrau-surname-popularity/.

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