2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ebbeler
German surname referring to someone living near an ebbing spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Ebbeler. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ebbeler 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Ebbeler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebbeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ebbeler
The surname Ebbeler is of German origin, originating in the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "ebeln," which means "to ripple" or "to flow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a rippling stream or flowing river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ebbeler name can be found in the town records of Würzburg, Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family by the name of Ebbeler residing in the area during that time period.
In the 17th century, the Ebbeler name appeared in various church records and parish registers throughout the German states, indicating its spread across the region. One notable individual from this era was Johann Ebbeler, a prominent merchant born in Augsburg in 1622.
As the Ebbeler family continued to expand and migrate, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Ebbeler, Ebeler, and Ebbler. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribes' interpretations.
In the 18th century, the Ebbeler name was mentioned in several historical documents from the Palatinate region of Germany. One such document, dated 1734, recorded the birth of Friedrich Ebbeler, a farmer's son from the village of Kirchheimbolanden.
Moving into the 19th century, the Ebbeler name gained prominence with the birth of Karl Ebbeler in 1812 in Mainz, Germany. Karl Ebbeler became a respected scholar and author, publishing several works on German literature and folklore.
Another notable figure bearing the Ebbeler surname was Sophie Ebbeler, born in 1841 in Hamburg. She was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, establishing one of the first schools for girls in the region.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Ebbelers immigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carrying their surname with them and contributing to its further dissemination.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ebbeler
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebbeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ebbeler 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 Ebbeler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ebbeler
Ebbeler appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,441 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 Ebbeler 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 | #143,149 | #153,590 | -7.3% |
| Count | 116 | 104 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ebbeler bearers went from 116 to 104 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #153,590.
FAQ
Ebbeler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ebbeler?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Ebbeler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Ebbeler?
Ebbeler ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Ebbeler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ebbeler.
Has Ebbeler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ebbeler went from 116 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Ebbeler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebbeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Ebbeler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ebbeler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Ebbeler (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 Ebbeler mean?
German surname referring to someone living near an ebbing spring or stream. 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 Ebbeler (0.03 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 common is the surname Ebbeler?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Ebbeler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.