2000
#16,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,559
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Earnhardt
An Americanized German occupational name for an "iron-worker" or "harvester."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,665 Americans carry the last name Earnhardt. That puts it at #18,750 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 205,858 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Earnhardt 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
1.7K
1 in 205,858
Census rank
#18,750
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,452 bearers of the surname Earnhardt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18750th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Earnhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Earnhardt
The surname Earnhardt originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the area that is now modern-day Germany. It first appeared in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "arn," meaning eagle, and "hart," meaning hard or brave, suggesting a connection to strength, courage, or a family crest featuring an eagle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Earnhardt can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval German charters and legal documents from the 12th to the 15th centuries. The name is also mentioned in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Buch, a comprehensive dictionary of German surnames published in the late 19th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Earnhardt (1525-1592) was a prominent Protestant theologian and author who played a key role in the Reformation. His writings and sermons were influential in shaping the religious landscape of the time.
A century later, in the 1600s, the Earnhardt surname appeared in the records of several German principalities, including those of Saxony and Bavaria. During this period, a man named Hans Earnhardt (1642-1712) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker, contributing to the development of timekeeping technology.
As the centuries passed, the Earnhardt name spread across various regions of Germany, and some members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. One such individual was Karl Earnhardt (1789-1862), a German-born artist who settled in England and became known for his landscape paintings.
In the 19th century, the Earnhardt name gained prominence in the United States, particularly in the southern states. One notable figure was William Earnhardt (1823-1898), a farmer and entrepreneur from North Carolina who played a significant role in the development of the local agricultural industry.
While the name Earnhardt is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history deeply rooted in Germanic culture and has been carried by individuals who have made notable contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Earnhardt
Among Census respondents with the surname Earnhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Earnhardt 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 Earnhardt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 1,361
- Two or more races3.8% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 8
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Earnhardt
Earnhardt 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
#18,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,539
-20 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 1,246 places
2020
#18,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,452
-87 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 652 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,852 | 1,559 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,098 | 1,539 | 0.52 | -20 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 1,246 places |
| 2020 | #18,750 | 1,452 | 0.49 | -87 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 652 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 Earnhardt 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 | #18,098 | #18,750 | -3.6% |
| Count | 1,539 | 1,452 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.49 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Earnhardt bearers went from 1,539 to 1,452 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 652 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,098 to #18,750.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Earnhardt
FAQ
Earnhardt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Earnhardt?
Name Census estimates that about 1,665 living Americans carry the surname Earnhardt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 205,858 residents.
How common is Earnhardt?
Earnhardt ranks #18,750 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,452 people with the surname Earnhardt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Earnhardt.
Has Earnhardt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Earnhardt went from 1,539 recorded bearers to 1,452. That is a decrease of 87 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,098 to #18,750.
What does the Census say about the background of Earnhardt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Earnhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Earnhardt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (1,361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Earnhardt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Earnhardt (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 Earnhardt mean?
An Americanized German occupational name for an "iron-worker" or "harvester." 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 Earnhardt (0.49 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 are called Earnhardt?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Earnhardt, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.