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

von, 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 von surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of von in America

von is the 45189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The von surname appeared 474 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 von.

We can also compare 2010 data for von 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 von

The surname VON is of German origin, dating back to the medieval period. It was initially used as a preposition meaning "of" or "from," indicating a person's place of origin or residence. The earliest records of this surname can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was commonly used by nobles and aristocrats to denote their ownership of land or estates.

One of the earliest known references to the surname VON can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. This work includes records of individuals with the surname VON, such as Rudolf von Hohenstaufen (1122-1167), a Duke of Swabia.

The surname VON was also prevalent in the Holy Roman Empire, where it was associated with various noble families. One notable example is the House of Habsburg, which produced numerous rulers and emperors, including Maximilian I von Habsburg (1459-1519), who was King of the Romans and later Holy Roman Emperor.

In the 14th century, the surname VON gained popularity among the bourgeoisie and merchants, as they sought to emulate the nobility by adopting the preposition in their names. This practice was particularly common in cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg, where merchants and artisans played a significant role in the local economy.

Among the notable historical figures with the surname VON, one can mention Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the renowned German writer and statesman, considered one of the greatest figures in German literature. Another prominent individual was Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), a Prussian military theorist whose work "On War" is widely regarded as a seminal text on military strategy.

Other notable bearers of the surname VON include Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), the iconic German composer and pianist, and Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), the famous Prussian statesman and mastermind behind the unification of Germany.

Throughout its history, the surname VON has been closely associated with German nobility and aristocracy, although it later transcended these boundaries and became more widespread among different social classes. Its enduring presence in German culture and history is a testament to its significance and longevity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name von

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

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

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

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