2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Eckburg
A surname indicating an ancestral home near a prominent oak tree or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Eckburg. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eckburg 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Eckburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eckburg
The surname ECKBURG has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "ekk" meaning "oak" and "burg" meaning "fortress" or "castle." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near or was associated with an oak-fortified settlement or castle.
The name ECKBURG first appeared in historical records in the town of Eckburg, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This town, which dates back to the 11th century, was likely the birthplace of the surname. In the 13th century, there are records of an Eckburg family residing in the nearby town of Quedlinburg.
One of the earliest known mentions of the surname ECKBURG can be found in the Sachsenspiegel, a medieval legal code compiled in the late 12th century. The document references an individual named Heinrich von Eckburg, who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
By the 15th century, the ECKBURG surname had spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions. Notable individuals from this time period include Johannes Eckburg (1420-1492), a scholar and theologian from Erfurt, and Margaretha Eckburg (1460-1528), a noblewoman from Württemberg.
In the 17th century, Hans Eckburg (1612-1684) was a prominent merchant and city councilor in the city of Hamburg. His son, Johann Eckburg (1648-1712), was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in the city.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Eckburg (1785-1860), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the governor of Berlin.
As the centuries passed, various spellings of the name emerged, including Eckburgh, Eckberg, and Eckbrecht. However, the core elements of "eck" and "burg" remained consistent, reflecting the name's origins and meaning.
While the ECKBURG surname is most prevalent in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and immigration. Today, the name can be found in various countries, though its historical roots and significance remain firmly rooted in the Germanic regions of central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eckburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Eckburg 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 Eckburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 113
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eckburg
Eckburg 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,649 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 Eckburg 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 | #142,108 | #145,757 | -2.6% |
| Count | 117 | 115 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eckburg bearers went from 117 to 115 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,757.
FAQ
Eckburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eckburg?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Eckburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Eckburg?
Eckburg ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Eckburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Eckburg.
Has Eckburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eckburg went from 117 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Eckburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (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 Eckburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eckburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Two or More Races (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 Eckburg (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 Eckburg mean?
A surname indicating an ancestral home near a prominent oak tree or grove. 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 Eckburg (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 are called Eckburg?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Eckburg at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.