2000
#48,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Eckl
A surname originating from South Germany typically referring to someone living by a corner or angle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 466 Americans carry the last name Eckl. That puts it at #54,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 735,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eckl 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
466
1 in 735,524
Census rank
#54,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
406
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 406 bearers of the surname Eckl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eckl
The surname ECKL is of German origin, emerging in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ecki," meaning "corner" or "edge," suggesting the name may have initially referred to someone living on a corner or at the edge of a village or town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the 9th century. The document mentions an individual named "Eckilo" as a witness to a land transfer.
Another notable early reference to the name is found in the Chronica Regia Coloniensis, a medieval chronicle from the city of Cologne, which records a certain "Hermannus Eckel" as a participant in the construction of the city's cathedral in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, including "Eckele," "Eckel," and "Eckeln," in records from various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Eckl, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1486 to 1551. He was a prominent figure in the early years of the Protestant Reformation and authored several works on theology and biblical interpretation.
Another notable individual was Johann Eckl, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1644 to 1717. He was known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which adorned churches and monasteries in Bavaria.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with Johann Michael Eckl, a German botanist and explorer who lived from 1737 to 1811. He is remembered for his contributions to the study of plant life in the Caribbean and South America, where he conducted extensive research expeditions.
The 19th century saw the rise of Johann Baptist Eckl, a German military officer and politician who lived from 1819 to 1894. He served in the Prussian army and later became involved in politics, serving as a member of the Reichstag, the parliament of the German Empire.
In the early 20th century, the name was borne by the German writer and philosopher Rudolf Eckl, who lived from 1882 to 1946. He was known for his works on philosophy and religion, and his writings were influential in the development of existentialist thought.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eckl
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Eckl 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 Eckl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 373
- Two or more races4.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eckl
Eckl 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
#46,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 461
+50 bearers (+12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 2,074 places
2020
#54,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 406
-55 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 8,517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,293 | 411 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,219 | 461 | 0.16 | +50 bearers (+12.2%) | Up 2,074 places |
| 2020 | #54,736 | 406 | 0.14 | -55 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 8,517 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 Eckl 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 | #46,219 | #54,736 | -18.4% |
| Count | 461 | 406 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.14 | -15.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eckl bearers went from 461 to 406 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 8,517 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,219 to #54,736.
FAQ
Eckl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eckl?
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the surname Eckl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 735,524 residents.
How common is Eckl?
Eckl ranks #54,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 406 people with the surname Eckl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (466), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Eckl.
Has Eckl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eckl went from 461 recorded bearers to 406. That is a decrease of 55 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,219 to #54,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Eckl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) 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 Eckl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eckl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%), 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 Eckl (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 Eckl mean?
A surname originating from South Germany typically referring to someone living by a corner or angle. 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 Eckl (0.14 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 Eckl?
If you just want to know how common the surname Eckl is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.