2000
#5,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,024
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Ehrlich
An occupational surname referring to an honest or honorable person, derived from the German word "ehrlich" meaning honest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,515 Americans carry the last name Ehrlich. That puts it at #5,861 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,610 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ehrlich 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
6.5K
1 in 52,610
Census rank
#5,861
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,681 bearers of the surname Ehrlich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5861st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehrlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The earliest recorded instances of the name Ehrlich can be found in various German historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ehrlich
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehrlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ehrlich 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 Ehrlich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 5,227
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 240
- Two or more races2.2% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 51
- Black or African American0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ehrlich
Ehrlich 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
#5,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,031
+7 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 422 places
2020
#5,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,681
-350 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,325 | 6,024 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,747 | 6,031 | 2.04 | +7 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 422 places |
| 2020 | #5,861 | 5,681 | 1.90 | -350 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 114 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 Ehrlich 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 | #5,747 | #5,861 | -2.0% |
| Count | 6,031 | 5,681 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.90 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ehrlich bearers went from 6,031 to 5,681 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,747 to #5,861.
FAQ
Ehrlich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ehrlich?
Name Census estimates that about 6,515 living Americans carry the surname Ehrlich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,610 residents.
How common is Ehrlich?
Ehrlich ranks #5,861 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,681 people with the surname Ehrlich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ehrlich.
Has Ehrlich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ehrlich went from 6,031 recorded bearers to 5,681. That is a decrease of 350 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,747 to #5,861.
What does the Census say about the background of Ehrlich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ehrlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ehrlich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (5,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ehrlich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ehrlich (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 Ehrlich mean?
An occupational surname referring to an honest or honorable person, derived from the German word "ehrlich" meaning honest. 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 Ehrlich (1.90 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 common is the surname Ehrlich?
Find out how many people are called Ehrlich on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.