2000
#2,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,440
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.61
Uncommon Last name
Ebert
A German surname derived from a short form of the given name Eberhard, meaning "brave as a wild boar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,504 Americans carry the last name Ebert. That puts it at #2,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,382 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ebert 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ebert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,382
Census rank
#2,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,776 bearers of the surname Ebert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ebert
The surname Ebert is of German origin, derived from the personal name Eberhard, which is composed of the Germanic elements "eber" meaning "boar" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy." This name was borne by several medieval German nobles and rulers, contributing to its widespread use and various spellings over time.
The earliest known record of the name Ebert dates back to the 12th century in the region of Franconia, Germany. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone with the characteristics of a boar, such as strength, courage, or perhaps a robust physical appearance.
In the 13th century, the name Ebert appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of the Germanic lands during this period.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Ebert was Eberhard von Eberstein (c. 1265-1320), a German nobleman and knight who served under Emperor Rudolf I of Habsburg. His descendants continued to use the name Ebert, further establishing its presence in various regions of Germany.
During the 15th century, the name Ebert was found in various records from the city of Nuremberg, which was a prominent center of trade and culture in the Holy Roman Empire. This indicates that families with the surname Ebert were involved in the economic and social life of the city at that time.
In the 16th century, the name Ebert was borne by notable individuals such as Johann Ebert (1549-1614), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. His works and influence contributed to the spread of the name across German-speaking regions.
Other notable historical figures with the surname Ebert include Friedrich Ebert (1871-1925), the first democratically elected President of Germany after World War I, and Theodor Ebert (1791-1872), a German composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of music education in the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ebert
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ebert 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 Ebert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 10,857
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 372
- Two or more races2.9% · 343
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 93
- Black or African American0.6% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ebert
Ebert 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
#2,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,830
+390 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.35
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#2,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,776
-1,054 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 3.94
Rank movement Down 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,671 | 12,440 | 4.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,809 | 12,830 | 4.35 | +390 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #2,992 | 11,776 | 3.94 | -1,054 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 183 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 Ebert 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 | #2,809 | #2,992 | -6.5% |
| Count | 12,830 | 11,776 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.35 | 3.94 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ebert bearers went from 12,830 to 11,776 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,809 to #2,992.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ebert
FAQ
Ebert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ebert?
Name Census estimates that about 13,504 living Americans carry the surname Ebert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,382 residents.
How common is Ebert?
Ebert ranks #2,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,776 people with the surname Ebert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,504), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Ebert.
Has Ebert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ebert went from 12,830 recorded bearers to 11,776. That is a decrease of 1,054 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,809 to #2,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Ebert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ebert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ebert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (10,857 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ebert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ebert (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 Ebert mean?
A German surname derived from a short form of the given name Eberhard, meaning "brave as a wild boar." 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 Ebert (3.94 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 surname Ebert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.