2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ebbinghaus
A surname of German origin referring to someone from a place name containing "ebbing".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Ebbinghaus. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ebbinghaus 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Ebbinghaus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebbinghaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ebbinghaus
The surname Ebbinghaus is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century in the region of Westphalia, located in what is now northwestern Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Low German words "ebben" meaning "even" or "level," and "hus" meaning "house." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a level or evenly-built house or dwelling.
One of the earliest records of the Ebbinghaus name can be found in the town of Soest, Westphalia, where a certain Johannes Ebbinghus was mentioned in a document dated 1492. The spelling variations at the time included Ebbenhusen, Ebbenhuysen, and Ebbenhaus, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations common in that era.
In the 16th century, the Ebbinghaus name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. A notable figure from this period was Hans Ebbinghaus (1515-1589), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Leipzig.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the Ebbinghaus family establish itself in various parts of Germany, with several members achieving distinction in various fields. Johann Ebbinghaus (1625-1701) was a respected Lutheran theologian and author, while Friedrich Ebbinghaus (1755-1823) was a renowned architect and urban planner who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in Berlin.
In the 19th century, the name gained further prominence with the birth of Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909), a pioneering German psychologist who is considered one of the founders of the scientific study of memory. His groundbreaking work on forgetting curves and the spacing effect in learning has had a lasting impact on the field of psychology.
Another notable figure from this period was Julius Ebbinghaus (1885-1981), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag and was actively involved in the resistance against the Nazi regime.
As the Ebbinghaus family continued to spread across Germany and beyond, the name has been associated with various individuals in different fields, including education, science, and the arts. While the name has undergone some spelling variations over the centuries, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the German cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ebbinghaus
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebbinghaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ebbinghaus 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 Ebbinghaus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ebbinghaus
Ebbinghaus 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-2 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,495 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-14 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 9,495 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 14,445 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 Ebbinghaus 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 | #129,825 | #144,270 | -11.1% |
| Count | 131 | 117 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ebbinghaus bearers went from 131 to 117 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 14,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #144,270.
FAQ
Ebbinghaus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ebbinghaus?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Ebbinghaus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Ebbinghaus?
Ebbinghaus ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Ebbinghaus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Ebbinghaus.
Has Ebbinghaus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ebbinghaus went from 131 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Ebbinghaus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebbinghaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Ebbinghaus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ebbinghaus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Ebbinghaus (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 Ebbinghaus mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone from a place name containing "ebbing". 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 Ebbinghaus (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Ebbinghaus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.