2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ehrenpreis
An honorific surname derived from German words meaning "honor" and "prize" or "price".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Ehrenpreis. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ehrenpreis 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Ehrenpreis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehrenpreis, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ehrenpreis
The surname "EHRENPREIS" has its origins in the German language, originating in the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Ehre" meaning honor and "Preis" meaning prize or award, suggesting that the name may have been bestowed upon someone who was highly respected or had achieved a notable accomplishment.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname can be found in the city of Augsburg, Germany, where a certain Hans Ehrenpreis was mentioned in a municipal record from 1568. This document suggests that the family may have resided in or near Augsburg during that time period.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical records from the region of Bavaria, particularly in the towns of Nuremberg and Regensburg. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Ehrenpreis, a merchant and trade guild member who lived in Nuremberg from 1642 to 1704.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ehrenpreiss, Ehrenpreisz, and Ehrenpreis. These variations likely reflected regional dialects and local scribal practices.
In the 18th century, the name can be found in various church records and census documents from the principalities of Hesse and Saxony. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Ehrenpreis, a renowned clockmaker from the town of Erfurt, who lived from 1720 to 1789.
The 19th century saw the migration of many German families, including those bearing the surname Ehrenpreis, to other parts of Europe and beyond. One notable individual was Karl Ehrenpreis, a German-born artist who immigrated to the United States in the 1860s and became known for his landscape paintings of the American West.
Throughout its history, the surname Ehrenpreis has been borne by a diverse array of individuals, including artisans, merchants, artists, and professionals. While not a particularly common name, it has left a distinct mark on various corners of the German-speaking world and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ehrenpreis
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehrenpreis, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ehrenpreis 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 Ehrenpreis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 98
- Black or African American5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ehrenpreis
Ehrenpreis 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,872 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,872 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 4,674 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 Ehrenpreis 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 | #152,628 | #147,954 | 3.1% |
| Count | 107 | 112 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ehrenpreis bearers went from 107 to 112 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,954.
FAQ
Ehrenpreis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ehrenpreis?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Ehrenpreis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Ehrenpreis?
Ehrenpreis ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Ehrenpreis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Ehrenpreis.
Has Ehrenpreis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ehrenpreis went from 107 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Ehrenpreis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehrenpreis, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (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 Ehrenpreis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ehrenpreis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (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 Ehrenpreis (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 Ehrenpreis mean?
An honorific surname derived from German words meaning "honor" and "prize" or "price". 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 Ehrenpreis (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 people are called Ehrenpreis?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Ehrenpreis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.