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

Unruh, 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 Unruh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Unruh in America

Unruh is the 4524th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Unruh surname appeared 7,835 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Unruh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Unruh 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 Unruh

The surname Unruh originated in Germany, and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German words "un" and "ruowe," meaning "without rest" or "restless." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was particularly active or energetic.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Unruh date back to the 13th century. In 1281, a man named Conradus dictus Unruwe was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne. The name also appears in records from various other German regions, such as Saxony and Bavaria, during the late Middle Ages.

One notable early bearer of the name was Bernhard Unruh, a German poet and scholar who lived in the 16th century (c. 1500-1570). He was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time and is known for his translations of classical works.

In the 17th century, the name Unruh was associated with several notable individuals. Johann Unruh (1615-1682) was a German theologian and author, while Georg Unruh (1635-1711) was a respected jurist and legal scholar.

The 18th century saw the rise of Johann Friedrich Unruh (1711-1784), a German merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Hamburg. He funded the construction of several public buildings and educational institutions.

As the name spread throughout Germany, it also appeared in various place names, such as Unruhstadt (literally "Unruh's town") in modern-day Poland, which was once part of the Prussian territories.

Another notable bearer of the name was Wilhelm Unruh (1873-1945), a German writer and journalist who was active in the early 20th century. He is best known for his novels and short stories depicting life in rural Germany.

While the name Unruh is still found predominantly in German-speaking regions, it has also been carried by individuals of German descent in other parts of the world, including North America and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Unruh

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

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

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

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