2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Egts
A rare surname of unknown origin or meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Egts. 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 Egts 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 Egts 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 Egts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Egts
The surname EGTS is believed to have originated in the region of East Prussia, which is now part of modern-day Poland and Russia. It first appeared in historical records dating back to the 13th century, during the time of the Teutonic Order's conquest and settlement of the area.
The name EGTS is thought to be derived from the Old Prussian word "egits," which meant "to hunt" or "to chase." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a hunter or a pursuer of game in the dense forests of the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name EGTS can be found in a document from 1287, which mentions a man named Hans Egts who was a landowner in the village of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia). This document is part of the archives of the Teutonic Order, which ruled over East Prussia for several centuries.
In the 15th century, a nobleman named Friedrich Egts was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). He was said to be a prominent figure in the local government and was involved in negotiations with the Teutonic Knights during a period of unrest.
During the 16th century, the name EGTS appeared in several religious records, indicating that members of the family were part of the Protestant Reformation movement in East Prussia. One notable figure was Johann Egts (1532-1604), who served as a Lutheran minister in the town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn, Poland).
In the 17th century, a merchant named Bartholomäus Egts (1612-1678) was recorded as having extensive trade connections in the Baltic region. His business dealings were documented in the records of the Hanseatic League, an important economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns.
Another prominent individual was Carl Egts (1789-1867), a military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected landowner and philanthropist in the region of Masuria (now part of Poland).
Throughout its history, the surname EGTS has been associated with various locations and place names in East Prussia, such as Egtsfeld, Egtshof, and Egtsdorf, which may have been derived from the name itself or vice versa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Egts
Among Census respondents with the surname Egts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Egts 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 Egts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 114
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Egts
Egts 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,364 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,364 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 4,892 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 Egts 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 | #146,201 | #141,309 | 3.3% |
| Count | 113 | 121 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Egts bearers went from 113 to 121 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 4,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #141,309.
FAQ
Egts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Egts?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Egts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Egts?
Egts 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 Egts. 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 Egts.
Has Egts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Egts went from 113 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 8 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Egts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Egts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) 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 Egts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Egts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%), 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 Egts (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 Egts mean?
A rare surname of unknown origin or meaning. 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 Egts (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 Egts?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Egts is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.