2000
#13,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,041
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Ehret
A German occupational surname denoting an agricultural laborer or farmhand, derived from the Middle High German "ern," meaning "harvest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,283 Americans carry the last name Ehret. That puts it at #14,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,133 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ehret 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
2.3K
1 in 150,133
Census rank
#14,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,991 bearers of the surname Ehret in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehret, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ehret
The surname Ehret originates from Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic word "Erhard," which means "strong" or "brave." This name was likely given as a nickname or a descriptive name to someone who displayed these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ehret surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. In this collection, a person named "Erhart de Eichstete" is mentioned in a document dated 1287.
The Ehret surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany. For example, there is a town called Ehretshofen in the state of Baden-Württemberg, which may have contributed to the development of the surname in that region.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Ehret surname in history are:
1. Johann Ehret (1674-1748), a German botanist and illustrator known for his intricate botanical illustrations.
2. Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770), a German botanical artist and one of the most celebrated illustrators of flora in the 18th century.
3. Christian Gottlob Ehret (1737-1809), a German painter and engraver who specialized in botanical illustrations.
4. Johann Friedrich Ehret (1777-1841), a German theologian and author of several religious texts.
5. Friedrich Ehret (1853-1927), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (German parliament) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout history, the Ehret surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Ehret, Ehrett, Ehred, and Ehrent, reflecting regional differences and the evolution of language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ehret
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehret, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ehret 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 Ehret surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,829
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 92
- Two or more races2.3% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ehret
Ehret 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
#14,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
+20 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 850 places
2020
#14,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,991
-70 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,635 | 2,041 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,485 | 2,061 | 0.70 | +20 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 850 places |
| 2020 | #14,437 | 1,991 | 0.67 | -70 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 48 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 Ehret 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 | #14,485 | #14,437 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,061 | 1,991 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.67 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ehret bearers went from 2,061 to 1,991 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,485 to #14,437.
FAQ
Ehret surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ehret?
Name Census estimates that about 2,283 living Americans carry the surname Ehret. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,133 residents.
How common is Ehret?
Ehret ranks #14,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,991 people with the surname Ehret. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Ehret.
Has Ehret become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ehret went from 2,061 recorded bearers to 1,991. That is a decrease of 70 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,485 to #14,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Ehret?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehret, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ehret in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ehret appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ehret (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 Ehret mean?
A German occupational surname denoting an agricultural laborer or farmhand, derived from the Middle High German "ern," meaning "harvest." 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 Ehret (0.67 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 have the surname Ehret?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.