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

Ehrlich, 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 Ehrlich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ehrlich in America

Ehrlich is the 5747th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ehrlich surname appeared 6,031 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ehrlich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ehrlich 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 Ehrlich

The surname Ehrlich is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "ehrlich," which means "honest" or "honorable." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who was perceived as an upright and trustworthy individual.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Ehrlich can be found in various German historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a certain Konrad Ehrlich in a land registry from the town of Nürnberg in 1324.

During the Middle Ages, the name Ehrlich was predominantly found in various regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Saxony. Some variations of the spelling include Erlich, Erlych, and Erlich.

In the 16th century, the name Ehrlich appeared in the records of the city of Leipzig, where a merchant named Hans Ehrlich (c. 1510-1580) was a prominent figure in the local trade guilds. Another notable individual was the German astronomer and mathematician Johann Samuel Ehrlich (1625-1688), who made important contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it also found its way into other parts of Europe. One notable bearer of the name was the Austrian-Jewish author and playwright Fritz Ehrlich (1899-1976), who is best known for his works exploring themes of identity and assimilation.

In the 19th century, the Ehrlich name gained further prominence with the birth of the renowned German scientist and Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915). He is widely recognized for his groundbreaking work in immunology and the development of chemotherapy treatments for diseases such as syphilis.

Other notable individuals with the surname Ehrlich include the German-American author and playwright Max Ehrlich (1892-1944), the American actor and comedian Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Rudolph Ebsen Jr., 1908-2003), and the American author and journalist Gretel Ehrlich (born 1946), known for her works on environmental and indigenous issues.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ehrlich

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

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 Ehrlich 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 Ehrlich 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 Ehrlich was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!