Ewald
A Germanic name meaning "wealthy guard" or "prosperous protector".
Name Census estimates that about 82 living Americans carry the first name Ewald. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ewald today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ewald births was 1916 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ewald. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ewald is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ewalds were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ewald. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
82
~ 1 in 4,179,931 Americans
Peak year
1916
60 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1957 SSA rank
#2,709
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Ewald: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ewald from the 1880s through to the 1950s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 360 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ewald by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ewald during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ewalds live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Wisconsin, Texas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Ewald, while South Dakota, Michigan, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ewald
The name Ewald originated from the Germanic languages, with its roots dating back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Old High German words "aw" meaning law, and "wald" meaning to rule or govern. The name can be interpreted to mean "ruler of the law" or "protector of the law."
In the early medieval period, the name Ewald was popular among the Frankish and Saxon nobility. It was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority and upheld the laws of the land. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 7th century hagiography of Saint Ewald, a Saxon missionary who was martyred while preaching Christianity in Old Saxony.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ewald was particularly prevalent in the regions of present-day Germany and the Netherlands. It was borne by several notable figures, including Ewald the Black, a 9th-century Benedictine monk and scholar who made significant contributions to the preservation of ancient texts.
In the 12th century, Ewald von Klette was a prominent German nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade. He is mentioned in historical accounts for his bravery and leadership during the siege of Acre in 1191.
Another famous bearer of the name was Ewald Christian von Kleist, a German poet and dramatist born in 1715. He is considered one of the leading figures of the German Enlightenment and is best known for his plays and poetic works that addressed themes of reason, morality, and social critique.
In the 19th century, Ewald Hering, a German physiologist born in 1834, made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of color vision and perception. His theories and experiments laid the foundation for our understanding of how the human eye perceives and processes color information.
Ewald Dittrich, born in 1898, was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts after World War II. He designed numerous buildings and urban developments, contributing to the rebuilding of cities like Berlin and Leipzig.
While the name Ewald has its roots in the Germanic languages, it has also been adopted and used in other cultures over the centuries. The name's association with law, governance, and authority has made it a popular choice for parents seeking a name with a strong and distinguished heritage.
People
Ewald + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ewald as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ewald: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ewald?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 82 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ewald going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,179,931 US residents.
Is Ewald a common name?
We classify Ewald as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 922 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ewald most popular?
The single biggest year for Ewald was 1916, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ewald is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ewald a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ewald in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.