Explore the Family Name Rothenberg

The meaning of Rothenberg

1. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of numerous places called Rothenberg. 2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Rot(en)berg ‘red mountain’. 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Rothenburg 2. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Hyman, Meyer, Chaim, Emanuel, Shlomo, Zvi, Arie, Hadassah, Isadore, Isak, Mort.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Rothenberg in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Rothenberg has seen a slight decrease in rank from 9916 to 10352 between 2000 and 2010; this is a change of -4.4%. However, the count of individuals carrying this surname has increased slightly from 3002 to 3112, an increase of 3.66%. The proportion of Rothenberg per 100,000 people also decreased marginally by -5.41%.

20002010Change
Rank#9,916#10,352-4.4%
Count3,0023,1123.66%
Proportion per 100k1.111.05-5.41%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rothenberg

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Rothenberg according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, it remains predominantly White, with a small decline from 96.34% in 2000 to 96.14% in 2010. The percentage of people with this surname identifying as Hispanic saw a modest increase of 18.88%, moving from 1.43% to 1.70%. Asian/Pacific Islander representation also grew from 0.67% to 0.77%. Interestingly, the percentage identifying as two or more races decreased from 1.17% in 2000 to 0.90% in 2010, a change of -23.08%. The categories of Black, American Indian, and Alaskan Native did not have any representation, maintaining a consistent 0% across both years.

20002010Change
White96.34%96.14%-0.21%
Hispanic1.43%1.7%18.88%
Two or More Races1.17%0.9%-23.08%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.67%0.77%14.93%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Rothenberg ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Rothenberg is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 60.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (17.2%) and French & German (8.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Indigenous American, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish60.1%
British & Irish17.2%
French & German8.2%
Other14.5%
Rothenberg

Possible origins of the surname Rothenberg

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Rothenberg have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom46.10%
West Midlands, United Kingdom46.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom46.10%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom44.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom44.90%

What Rothenberg haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Rothenberg is J-M267, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-M267 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include G-M201 and E-M34, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Moskowitz, Mendelsohn, Zuckerman, Resnick, Pearlman, Matta, Abrahams, Nathan, Dubin, Fleischer.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rothenberg surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

rothenbergPaternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to men who spread the Semitic languages

Men carrying the J-M267 lineage took part in many waves of migrations over the millennia, and domesticated animals and plants weren't the only things they carried. They may also have been among the communities that spread the Semitic languages, a diverse group that bloomed from a single proto-Semitic tongue in the Levant nearly 5,750 years ago. These men likely carried branches of both haplogroup J and of the Semitic language family through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa. Still later, some J-M267-bearing men re-expanded from the Arabian Peninsula back through the Middle East and across North Africa in migrations associated with the emergence and spread of Islam.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Rothenberg have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Rothenberg

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Rothenberg" Surname 45.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Rothenberg

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Rothenberg" Surname 22.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Rothenberg

Vitamin Use

Takes vitamins on a regular basis.

"Rothenberg" Surname 55.0%

23andMe Users 45.5%

Wellness

Rothenberg

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Rothenberg" Surname 13.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Rothenberg?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Rothenberg are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%