2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Efting
A surname that may be derived from a place name or geographic location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Efting. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Efting 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Efting in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Efting, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Efting
The surname Efting is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, and its roots can be traced back to the 16th century. It is likely derived from the Dutch word "eften," which means "to level or flatten." This suggests that the name may have been associated with people who worked as land surveyors or those involved in the process of preparing land for construction or agriculture.
One of the earliest known records of the name Efting can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it was documented in a local parish register from the late 1500s. The name was also prominent in the neighboring regions of Groningen and Drenthe during this period.
In the 17th century, the Efting family gained recognition when Jan Efting, a merchant and ship owner from Amsterdam, established a successful trading company. His ventures spanned across Europe and the Dutch East Indies, contributing significantly to the economic prosperity of the Netherlands during the Dutch Golden Age.
Another notable figure with the surname Efting was Pieter Efting, a renowned painter from Leeuwarden, who lived between 1701 and 1778. His works, primarily depicting landscapes and city scenes, are highly regarded and can be found in several museums across the Netherlands.
During the 19th century, the name Efting was particularly prominent in the Dutch province of Gelderland. One notable individual from this era was Hendrik Efting, a politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Dutch Parliament from 1848 to 1860.
In the early 20th century, the name gained international recognition with the birth of Gerrit Efting, a Dutch-American engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of several landmark bridges in the United States, including the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
While the Efting surname has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong Dutch cultural influences or historical ties, such as South Africa and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Efting
Among Census respondents with the surname Efting, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Efting 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 Efting surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Efting
Efting 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,776 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 19,776 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 8,086 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 Efting 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 | #149,395 | #141,309 | 5.4% |
| Count | 110 | 121 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Efting bearers went from 110 to 121 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 8,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #141,309.
FAQ
Efting surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Efting?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Efting. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Efting?
Efting ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Efting. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Efting.
Has Efting become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Efting went from 110 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 11 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Efting?
Among Census respondents with the surname Efting, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Efting in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Efting appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Efting (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 Efting mean?
A surname that may be derived from a place name or geographic location. 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 Efting (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 common is the surname Efting?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Efting, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.