2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Egerter
A variant of the German surname Egert, which derived from a personal name that meant "sword maker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Egerter. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Egerter 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Egerter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Egerter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Egerter
The surname Egerter has its origins in the German language and traces back to the late medieval period, specifically the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, located in southeastern Germany.
Egerter is derived from the German word "Egert," which referred to a person who lived near or worked on land known as an "Egert." This term was used to describe a cultivated field or clearing in a forest, often used for planting crops or grazing livestock. The addition of the suffix "-er" to "Egert" served to indicate an individual's occupation or association with such lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Egerter can be found in the Bavarian town of Landshut, where a certain Hans Egerter was mentioned in a document dated 1412. The name also appeared in records from the nearby city of Regensburg, with a reference to a Michael Egerter in 1458.
Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, the Egerter name continued to appear in various German records, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johannes Egerter (1480-1542), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
As the centuries progressed, variations of the name emerged, such as Egarter, Eggarter, and Eggert, reflecting regional dialects and spelling variations. In the 18th century, Johann Georg Egerter (1712-1788) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Würzburg.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Egerter (1804-1879), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives in the mid-19th century.
By the 19th century, the Egerter surname had spread beyond Germany, with individuals bearing this name found in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland, as well as in regions further afield due to emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Egerter
Among Census respondents with the surname Egerter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Egerter 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 Egerter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Egerter
Egerter 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,827 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 20,827 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,305 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 Egerter 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 | #144,141 | #149,446 | -3.7% |
| Count | 115 | 110 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Egerter bearers went from 115 to 110 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #149,446.
FAQ
Egerter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Egerter?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Egerter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Egerter?
Egerter ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Egerter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Egerter.
Has Egerter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Egerter went from 115 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Egerter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Egerter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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 Egerter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Egerter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (7.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). 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 Egerter (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 Egerter mean?
A variant of the German surname Egert, which derived from a personal name that meant "sword maker." 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 Egerter (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 Americans have the surname Egerter?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.