NameCensus.

UK surname

Rosenthal

A German and Jewish toponymic surname referring to someone living in a place where roses were grown.

In the 1881 census there were 291 people recorded with the Rosenthal surname, ranking it #9,931 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 634, ranked #8,340, up from #9,931 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, Christ Church Spitalfields and St Mary Whitechapel. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnet and Trafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rosenthal is 908 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 117.9%.

1881 census count

291

Ranked #9,931

Modern count

634

2016, ranked #8,340

Peak year

1911

908 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rosenthal had 291 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,931 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 634 in 2016, ranked #8,340.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 908 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Rosenthal surname distribution map

The map shows where the Rosenthal surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Rosenthal surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rosenthal over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 48 #24,615
1861 historical 65 #25,618
1881 historical 291 #9,931
1891 historical 562 #6,758
1901 historical 886 #5,198
1911 historical 908 #4,913
1997 modern 624 #7,925
1998 modern 634 #8,065
1999 modern 641 #8,050
2000 modern 633 #8,101
2001 modern 618 #8,104
2002 modern 641 #8,044
2003 modern 662 #7,728
2004 modern 644 #7,893
2005 modern 641 #7,851
2006 modern 629 #8,005
2007 modern 656 #7,806
2008 modern 647 #7,942
2009 modern 640 #8,168
2010 modern 681 #7,943
2011 modern 666 #8,003
2012 modern 635 #8,220
2013 modern 648 #8,238
2014 modern 642 #8,349
2015 modern 633 #8,366
2016 modern 634 #8,340

Geography

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Where Rosenthals are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, Christ Church Spitalfields, St Mary Whitechapel, London parishes and St Dunstan Stepney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnet and Trafford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St George in the East London (East Districts)
2 Christ Church Spitalfields London (East Districts)
3 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnet 037 Barnet
2 Barnet 034 Barnet
3 Barnet 035 Barnet
4 Trafford 028 Trafford
5 Barnet 032 Barnet

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rosenthal

These lists show first names that appear often with the Rosenthal surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rosenthal

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rosenthal, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Rosenthal surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Rosenthal household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Rosenthal is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rosenthal is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rosenthal falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rosenthal is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rosenthal, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rosenthal

The surname Rosenthal originated in German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria. It is derived from the German words "Rose" meaning rose and "Thal" meaning valley, essentially translating to "Rose Valley." The earliest known records of the surname date back to the 13th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Rosenthal was likely given to individuals who lived in a valley where roses grew abundantly or near a town or village with the name Rosenthal. Similar spellings from that time period include Rosenthal, Rosenthaler, and Rosendahl.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Rosenthal can be found in a 14th-century German manuscript referring to a landowner named Hans Rosenthal. Another notable early reference is in the Württemberg tax records of 1495, which list a Jacob Rosenthal residing in the town of Stuttgart.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Rosenthal was Isaak Rosenthal, a German-Jewish scholar and rabbi who lived from 1515 to 1585. He was renowned for his expertise in Talmudic law and Hebrew literature.

During the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Rosenthal, a German composer and organist who lived from 1617 to 1672. He is recognized for his contributions to the development of the north German organ school.

In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Rosenthal, a German physician and botanist who lived from 1723 to 1776, made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and authored several influential works on the subject.

Another notable figure with the surname Rosenthal was Isaak Rosenthal, a German-Jewish financier and philanthropist who lived from 1779 to 1858. He was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and charitable organizations in Germany.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rosenthal families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rosenthal surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 199 Rosenthals recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.01x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 199 7.01x
Lancashire 35 1.04x
Lanarkshire 14 1.53x
Yorkshire 14 0.50x
Northumberland 8 1.89x
Surrey 7 0.51x
Warwickshire 6 0.84x
Nottinghamshire 4 1.05x
Cornwall 2 0.62x
Bedfordshire 1 0.68x
Oxfordshire 1 0.57x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whitechapel London in Middlesex leads with 59 Rosenthals recorded in 1881 and an index of 210.86x.

Place Total Index
Whitechapel London 59 210.86x
St George In East 37 191.61x
Spitalfields London 25 117.10x
Manchester 22 14.52x
Leeds 13 8.18x
St Pancras London 11 4.81x
Govan 10 4.40x
Bethnal Green London 8 6.49x
Kensington London 8 5.07x
Mile End New Town 8 206.19x
Mile End Old Town 8 17.86x
Westgate 8 30.59x
Westminster St James 7 23.99x
Birmingham 6 2.52x
Cheetham 6 23.89x
Liverpool 6 2.93x
Glasgow 4 2.45x
Lenton 4 44.40x
Poplar London 4 7.47x
St Botolph Aldgate 4 103.36x
St George Bloomsbury 4 24.57x
Clerkenwell London 3 4.48x
Islington London 3 1.09x
Old Artillery Ground 3 122.95x
St Marylebone London 3 1.98x
Wandsworth 3 10.98x
Battersea 2 1.92x
Lambeth 2 0.81x
Mylor 2 93.02x
Bedford St Peter 1 26.18x
Ealing 1 3.94x
Hackney London 1 0.63x
Holy Trinity St Mary 1 23.36x
Hulme 1 1.42x
Oxford St Ebbe 1 19.38x
Paddington London 1 0.96x
Shoreditch London 1 0.81x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rosenthal surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Rachel 9
Esther 8
Hannah 6
Annie 5
Betsy 5
Fanny 5
Leah 5
Sarah 5
Deborah 4
Kate 4
Mary 4
Emma 3
Jane 3
Matilda 3
Rebecca 3
Ada 2
Adelaide 2
Anne 2
Charlotte 2
Dora 2
Elizabeth 2
Florence 2
Julia 2
Lena 2
Rachael 2
Rosa 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Becca 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
Cilia 1
Dorothy 1
E. 1
Eleanor 1
Elinda 1
Ella 1
Ester 1
Euncy 1
Flora 1
Henrietta 1
Jenette 1
Jessie 1
Jetta 1
Joseph 1
Laura 1
Lizzie 1
Lizzy 1
Marie 1
Yetta 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rosenthal surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Jacob 8
Isaac 7
Joseph 7
Mark 5
Simon 5
Abraham 4
Harris 4
Henry 4
Lewis 4
Moses 4
Solomon 4
Alfred 3
Louis 3
Michael 3
Samuel 3
Aaron 2
Barnet 2
Barnett 2
Emanuel 2
Ernest 2
Gustave 2
Herman 2
Julius 2
Marks 2
Phillip 2
William 2
Woolf 2
Archibd. 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Emmanuel 1
Eugine 1
Fritz 1
George 1
Gorafer 1
Harry 1
Herbt. 1
Hyman 1
Isica 1
Javqut 1
Joe 1
Julins 1
Lazarus 1
Louie 1
Louise 1
Ludwig 1
Maurice 1
Maximilian 1
Meyer 1
Morris 1

FAQ

Rosenthal surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rosenthal surname in 1881?

In 1881, 291 people were recorded with the Rosenthal surname. That placed it at #9,931 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rosenthal surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 634 in 2016. That gives Rosenthal a modern rank of #8,340.

What does the Rosenthal surname mean?

A German and Jewish toponymic surname referring to someone living in a place where roses were grown.

What does the Rosenthal map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rosenthal bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.