2000
#6,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Eckman
Derived from the German surname Eckmann, referring to someone living at the corner of a settlement or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,371 Americans carry the last name Eckman. That puts it at #6,916 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,816 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eckman 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
5.4K
1 in 63,816
Census rank
#6,916
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,684 bearers of the surname Eckman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6916th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eckman
The surname Eckman has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Ecke," which means "corner" or "edge." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a corner or on the edge of a village or town.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Eckman can be found in various German records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a certain Henrich Eckman in the Würzburg City Registry from the year 1347. This document also references the spelling variation "Egkman," which further supports the connection to the word "Ecke."
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Eckman name began to spread across different parts of Germany, particularly in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Hesse. Several notable individuals bearing this surname emerged during this period, including Johann Eckman (1558-1631), a prominent lawyer and legal scholar from Nuremberg, and Hans Eckman (1612-1675), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Augsburg.
As the Eckman family name continued to grow and disperse, it found its way into various historical records and documents across Europe. For instance, in the early 18th century, a merchant named Gottfried Eckman (1683-1748) was documented in the trade records of Amsterdam, indicating the name's presence in the Netherlands.
One of the most famous individuals with the Eckman surname was the German philosopher and theologian Johann Peter Eckman (1792-1854). He was a prominent figure in the Idealist movement and wrote extensively on metaphysics and the philosophy of religion.
Another notable figure was the Swedish botanist and explorer Carl Eckman (1819-1891), who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in South America and was responsible for discovering several new species.
In the realm of literature, the name Eckman is associated with the German writer and poet Carl Gustav Eckman (1832-1908), whose works focused on themes of nature and romanticism.
As the centuries progressed, the Eckman name continued to spread and take root in various parts of the world, carried by those who immigrated from their German homeland. Today, it remains a prominent surname, with various spellings and variations, a testament to its rich historical origins and journey through time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eckman
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Eckman 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 Eckman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 4,349
- Two or more races3.5% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eckman
Eckman 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
#6,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,914
+175 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#6,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,684
-230 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,596 | 4,739 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,851 | 4,914 | 1.67 | +175 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #6,916 | 4,684 | 1.57 | -230 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 65 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 Eckman 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 | #6,851 | #6,916 | -0.9% |
| Count | 4,914 | 4,684 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.57 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eckman bearers went from 4,914 to 4,684 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,851 to #6,916.
FAQ
Eckman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eckman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,371 living Americans carry the surname Eckman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,816 residents.
How common is Eckman?
Eckman ranks #6,916 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,684 people with the surname Eckman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,371), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Eckman.
Has Eckman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eckman went from 4,914 recorded bearers to 4,684. That is a decrease of 230 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,851 to #6,916.
What does the Census say about the background of Eckman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Eckman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (4,349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eckman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Eckman (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 Eckman mean?
Derived from the German surname Eckmann, referring to someone living at the corner of a settlement or village. 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 Eckman (1.57 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 Eckman?
Want to know how many people have the surname Eckman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.