2000
#6,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Eckhardt
A German surname derived from the given name Eckhard, meaning "strong edge" or "brave edge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,883 Americans carry the last name Eckhardt. That puts it at #7,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eckhardt 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 Eckhardt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,193
Census rank
#7,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,258 bearers of the surname Eckhardt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eckhardt
The surname ECKHARDT is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German words "ekka," meaning "edge" or "corner," and "hart," meaning "brave" or "hardy." This combination suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on the edge of a settlement, perhaps a brave or hardy individual living on the outskirts.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as "Eckhart," "Eckehart," and "Eckhardus" appearing in various historical documents and records from that time. One notable early bearer of the name was Meister Eckhart, a renowned German theologian, philosopher, and mystic who lived from around 1260 to 1328.
In the 14th century, the name Eckhardt appeared in the "Codex Hirsaugiensis," a historical manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This document recorded the names of individuals who held various positions within the abbey and surrounding areas.
During the 16th century, the name Eckhardt was associated with several prominent figures, including Johann Eckhardt (1492-1557), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry, and Jakob Eckhardt (1516-1586), a German composer and organist known for his work in the Lutheran tradition.
In the 18th century, Johann Georg Eckhardt (1736-1817) was a German historian and philologist who specialized in the study of ancient Germanic languages and literature. His work played a crucial role in the development of modern German philology.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich Eckhardt (1766-1834), a German writer and educator who authored several works on education and pedagogy during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Throughout its history, the surname Eckhardt has been associated with various notable individuals from different fields, including academics, artists, and professionals. While its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Germany, the name has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eckhardt
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Eckhardt 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 Eckhardt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,930
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 168
- Two or more races2.3% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eckhardt
Eckhardt 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
#7,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,520
+18 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 486 places
2020
#7,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,258
-262 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,882 | 4,502 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,368 | 4,520 | 1.53 | +18 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 486 places |
| 2020 | #7,529 | 4,258 | 1.42 | -262 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 161 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 Eckhardt 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 | #7,368 | #7,529 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,520 | 4,258 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.42 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eckhardt bearers went from 4,520 to 4,258 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,368 to #7,529.
FAQ
Eckhardt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eckhardt?
Name Census estimates that about 4,883 living Americans carry the surname Eckhardt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,193 residents.
How common is Eckhardt?
Eckhardt ranks #7,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,258 people with the surname Eckhardt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,883), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Eckhardt.
Has Eckhardt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eckhardt went from 4,520 recorded bearers to 4,258. That is a decrease of 262 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,368 to #7,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Eckhardt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Eckhardt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,930 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eckhardt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Eckhardt (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 Eckhardt mean?
A German surname derived from the given name Eckhard, meaning "strong edge" or "brave edge." 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 Eckhardt (1.42 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 Eckhardt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.