2000
#11,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Ehlert
German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "erle," meaning someone who lived near alder trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,901 Americans carry the last name Ehlert. That puts it at #11,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ehlert 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
2.9K
1 in 118,150
Census rank
#11,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,530 bearers of the surname Ehlert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehlert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ehlert
The surname Ehlert is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "egilhart," which means "hard as a boar" or "strong as a boar." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who possessed strength and courage akin to that of a wild boar.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ehlert can be found in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Hamburg, dating back to the 14th century. These records document individuals with variations of the name, such as Egelhart, Egilhart, and Eylhart, among others. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Ehlert (c. 1510-1581) was a German theologian and reformer from Lübeck. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement and was a close associate of Martin Luther. Another individual from this period was Valentin Ehlert (c. 1550-1625), a German composer and organist who served in various churches in Hamburg and Lübeck.
During the 17th century, a prominent family with the surname Ehlert emerged in the city of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony. This family produced several notable individuals, including Johann Ehlert (1615-1688), a respected jurist and mayor of Lüneburg, and his son, Gottfried Ehlert (1652-1717), who followed in his father's footsteps and became a prominent lawyer and city councilor.
In the 18th century, the name Ehlert gained further recognition with the birth of Christoph Daniel Ehlert (1746-1827), a German writer and philosopher who authored several influential works on ethics and aesthetics. Another notable figure from this period was Johann Gottfried Ehlert (1770-1834), a German composer and music theorist who contributed significantly to the development of musical education in Germany.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several distinguished individuals bearing the surname Ehlert, including Louis Ehlert (1825-1884), a German composer, music critic, and influential pedagogue who made significant contributions to the development of piano instruction and pedagogy. Additionally, Alfred Ehlert (1835-1895) was a German painter and illustrator known for his landscape and genre paintings, as well as his illustrations for popular German literature of the time.
Throughout its history, the surname Ehlert has been associated with individuals from various professions, including theologians, composers, jurists, philosophers, and artists. While the name originated in northern Germany, it has since spread to other regions and countries, reflecting the mobility and migration patterns of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ehlert
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehlert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ehlert 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 Ehlert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 2,372
- Two or more races2.9% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 60
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ehlert
Ehlert 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
#12,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,602
-24 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 906 places
2020
#11,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,530
-72 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,097 | 2,626 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,003 | 2,602 | 0.88 | -24 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 906 places |
| 2020 | #11,833 | 2,530 | 0.85 | -72 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 170 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 Ehlert 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 | #12,003 | #11,833 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,602 | 2,530 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.85 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ehlert bearers went from 2,602 to 2,530 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,003 to #11,833.
FAQ
Ehlert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ehlert?
Name Census estimates that about 2,901 living Americans carry the surname Ehlert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,150 residents.
How common is Ehlert?
Ehlert ranks #11,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,530 people with the surname Ehlert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ehlert.
Has Ehlert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ehlert went from 2,602 recorded bearers to 2,530. That is a decrease of 72 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,003 to #11,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Ehlert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehlert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ehlert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (2,372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ehlert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ehlert (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 Ehlert mean?
German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "erle," meaning someone who lived near alder trees. 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 Ehlert (0.85 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 share the surname Ehlert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.