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

Wittenberg, 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 Wittenberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wittenberg in America

Wittenberg is the 12435th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wittenberg surname appeared 2,498 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 Wittenberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wittenberg 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 Wittenberg

The surname Wittenberg originated in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Wittenberg," which refers to a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The name is believed to have originated from the Old Germanic words "witu" meaning "wood" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill," suggesting a connection to a wooded area or settlement near a hill or mountain.

The town of Wittenberg is historically significant as it was the place where Martin Luther, the famous German professor of theology and the key figure in the Protestant Reformation, posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in 1517. This event is widely regarded as the spark that ignited the Reformation movement. As a result, the surname Wittenberg may have been adopted by individuals associated with or influenced by the Reformation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wittenberg can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony-Anhalt from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Notable individuals with the surname Wittenberg include Johannes Wittenberg (1583-1648), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

Another notable figure was Georg Wittenberg (1610-1667), a German composer and organist who worked in various churches in Saxony. In the 18th century, Johann Michael Wittenberg (1718-1784) was a German architect and sculptor who designed several churches and public buildings in the region.

In the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Wittenberg (1819-1892) was a German writer and poet who published several works in his lifetime. Additionally, Paul Wittenberg (1876-1961) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities.

While the surname Wittenberg is not as common today as it once was, it continues to be associated with its German roots and the historical significance of the town of Wittenberg in the context of the Protestant Reformation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wittenberg

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

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

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

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