2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Eche
A surname possibly derived from the Spanish word "echar" meaning to throw or expel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Eche. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eche 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Eche in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eche, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.6%) and Hispanic (14.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eche
The surname ECHE has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Basque word "etxe," which means "house" or "home." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a prominent or well-known house.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ECHE appears in the medieval records of the town of Labourd in the Basque Country of France. In 1243, a document mentions a landowner named Arnaud d'Eche, who owned several properties in the area.
In the 14th century, the name ECHE was found in the Navarre region of northern Spain, where it was spelled "Eche" or "Echeverria." This variation, which means "house near the road," suggests that some families with this surname may have lived along important trade routes.
During the 16th century, the name ECHE gained prominence in the Spanish city of Bilbao. In 1568, a merchant named Juan de Eche was granted a license to trade with the Spanish colonies in the Americas, indicating the family's growing wealth and influence.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname ECHE was Pedro de Eche y Otal (1578-1635), a Spanish architect who designed several important buildings in Madrid, including the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians.
Another significant figure was Miguel de Eche y Eguía (1639-1711), a Spanish military engineer who served in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession. He was responsible for fortifying numerous cities across Spain and the Netherlands.
In the 18th century, the ECHE family produced several important writers and intellectuals, including Joaquín de Eche y Mendívil (1716-1788), a poet and historian from Navarre, and Agustín de Eche y Zúñiga (1743-1803), a philosopher and theologian from Bilbao.
As the ECHE surname spread beyond the Basque region, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Etcheverria, Echeverria, and Etcheverry, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the areas where it was adopted.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eche
Among Census respondents with the surname Eche, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.6%) and Hispanic (14.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Eche 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 Eche surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.1% · 60
- White27.6% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino14.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eche
Eche 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,055 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 3,055 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 Eche 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 | #156,044 | #152,989 | 2.0% |
| Count | 104 | 105 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eche bearers went from 104 to 105 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 3,055 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #152,989.
FAQ
Eche surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eche?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Eche. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Eche?
Eche ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Eche. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Eche.
Has Eche become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eche went from 104 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Eche?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eche, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.6%) and Hispanic (14.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Eche in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.1% (60 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eche appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (57.1%), White (27.6%), Hispanic (14.3%). 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 Eche (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 Eche mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Spanish word "echar" meaning to throw or expel. 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 Eche (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 people have the last name Eche?
You can see how many people have the last name Eche on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.