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

Willenborg, 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 Willenborg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Willenborg in America

Willenborg is the 26067th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Willenborg surname appeared 940 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 Willenborg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Willenborg 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 Willenborg

The surname Willenborg originates from Germany, particularly from the northern regions. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 14th centuries. The name is a toponymic surname, which means it was derived from a place name. The name combines two old German words: "willen," meaning "will" or "desire," and "borg," meaning "castle" or "fortress." This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have been associated with a notable structure or area, perhaps living in or near a fortified location.

Early records show the name appearing in various spellings such as Willenberg and Willemborg. It appears in historical documents from the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, indicating that the name was well-established in these areas. One of the earliest references to a variation of this surname can be found in a 14th-century land document from the Bishopric of Münster, mentioning a Henneke de Willenberg, a landowner who was prominent in his local area.

The Reformation period in the 16th century saw the name Willenborg present in church records and legal documents. For example, a 1545 parish register from Hamburg records the name of Johan Willenborg, a prominent merchant who was actively involved in the Hanseatic League. Records indicate he was born in 1509 and died in 1570, contributing significantly to the regional economy of the time.

Another historical figure with this surname is Claus Willenborg, a 17th-century military officer from Bremen, whose services were documented during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in 1602 and passed away in 1675, having played a crucial role in regional defense and local politics.

Throughout the 18th century, the name continued to be prevalent in northern Germany. A notable person from this period is Dietrich Willenborg, a theologian and writer born in 1715 and died in 1783. His works on Protestant doctrine were influential during a time of religious upheaval and change.

In the 19th century, the name Willenborg appeared in immigration records, particularly as many Germans moved to the United States during periods of economic hardship and political restructuring in Europe. One of the early immigrants was Heinrich Willenborg, born in 1829 in Hanover, who settled in Ohio in 1854. His descendants played prominent roles in the local communities they joined.

Finally, the name appears in local historical accounts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Karl Willenborg, an artist born in 1888 in Bremen, gained recognition for his landscape paintings and continued the legacy of the family name in cultural fields. He passed away in 1964, leaving behind a collection of works that depicted the rural and urban landscapes of northern Germany and beyond.

Throughout centuries, the surname Willenborg has maintained a presence in various facets of society, spanning military, religious, commercial, and cultural arenas, contributing richly to regional history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Willenborg

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

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

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

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