2000
#8,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Earhart
Derived from the Old English words "eofor" and "heort," meaning "boar" and "deer," likely referring to a hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,691 Americans carry the last name Earhart. That puts it at #9,646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,862 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Earhart surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,862
Census rank
#9,646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,219 bearers of the surname Earhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Earhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Earhart
The surname Earhart is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "eare" meaning "grave" and "hord" meaning "hoard" or "treasure." Initially, the name was used to describe someone who guarded or maintained a burial site or grave.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known record of surnames in England, the name appears as "Erehord" or "Erehord de Wincestre." This suggests that the name originated in the region of Winchester, Hampshire, where some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name resided.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its modern spelling, with variations such as "Erhard," "Erehart," and "Earhart" appearing in various records and documents. One notable early bearer of the name was John Earhart, a landowner in Somerset mentioned in the Feet of Fines records from 1272.
In the 14th century, the name Earhart became more widespread across England, with references found in various counties, including Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. During this period, the name was also associated with several place names, such as Earhart's Green in Wiltshire and Earhart's Farm in Gloucestershire.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the Earhart surname was the renowned American aviator Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), who became the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Although her disappearance during an attempted round-the-world flight in 1937 remains a mystery, her legacy as a pioneer in aviation has endured.
Other notable individuals with the Earhart surname include John Earhart (1574-1630), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Warden of Winchester College, and William Earhart (1876-1957), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
Over the centuries, the Earhart surname has spread across the globe, with bearers found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite its geographical dispersion, the name retains its English roots and connection to its original meaning as a guardian or keeper of burial sites.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Earhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Earhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Earhart bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Earhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,913
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 138
- Two or more races3.3% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- Black or African American0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Earhart
Earhart appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,882
+209 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#9,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,219
-663 bearers (-17.1%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 1,156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,296 | 3,673 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,490 | 3,882 | 1.32 | +209 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #9,646 | 3,219 | 1.08 | -663 bearers (-17.1%) | Down 1,156 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Earhart surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,490 | #9,646 | -13.6% |
| Count | 3,882 | 3,219 | -17.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.08 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Earhart bearers went from 3,882 to 3,219 (-17.1% change). The surname moved down 1,156 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,490 to #9,646.
FAQ
Earhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Earhart?
Name Census estimates that about 3,691 living Americans carry the surname Earhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,862 residents.
How common is Earhart?
Earhart ranks #9,646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,219 people with the surname Earhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Earhart.
Has Earhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Earhart went from 3,882 recorded bearers to 3,219. That is a decrease of 663 (-17.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,490 to #9,646.
What does the Census say about the background of Earhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Earhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Earhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Earhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Earhart (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Earhart mean?
Derived from the Old English words "eofor" and "heort," meaning "boar" and "deer," likely referring to a hunter. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Earhart (1.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Earhart?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Earhart on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.