Find out how popular the last name Ehlen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ehlen.

Ehlen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ehlen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ehlen in America

Ehlen is the 27707th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ehlen surname appeared 868 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ehlen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ehlen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ehlen

The surname Ehlen is of German origin, deriving from the Old German words "ehe" and "lehen", which together referred to a specific type of land or property held in exchange for service or payment. This indicates that the name likely originated in the German regions during the medieval period.

The earliest known record of the surname Ehlen can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dated around the 13th century. Here, the name is spelled "Ehlen" and appears to refer to a family residing in the town of Ehlen, near the city of Halberstadt.

Over the centuries, the name Ehlen has been subject to various spelling variations, including Ehlen, Ehlern, Ehlener, and Ehlemann. These variations often reflect regional dialects or the preferences of individual scribes.

One notable bearer of the name Ehlen was Johannes Ehlen (1532-1589), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in the city of Magdeburg. His writings and sermons were influential in spreading the teachings of Martin Luther throughout the region.

In the 17th century, the name Ehlen appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant family by the name of Ehlen was documented as being involved in the lucrative spice trade with the East Indies.

Another prominent figure with the surname Ehlen was Friedrich Ehlen (1786-1854), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in the city of Berlin, including the Neue Wache and the Altes Museum.

The name Ehlen can also be found in records from other German regions, such as the Rhineland and Bavaria, indicating that the name had spread from its original location over time.

In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was Carl Ehlen (1837-1907), a German-American industrialist who founded the Ehlen Machine Works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which specialized in the manufacture of industrial machinery.

As the surname Ehlen spread beyond Germany, it can be found in historical records from other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns of German-speaking populations over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ehlen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ehlen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ehlen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ehlen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ehlen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ehlen, please contact us.

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