2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Eichar
A surname with uncertain origins, possibly derived from a location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Eichar. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eichar 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Eichar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eichar
The surname EICHAR has its origins in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, with records indicating its presence as early as the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "eichhorn," meaning squirrel, potentially indicating a connection to forestry or hunting trades in its early usage.
One of the earliest known references to the name EICHAR can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to 1538, where a certain Hans Eichar is listed as a resident. This suggests that the name may have originated in the vicinity of modern-day Bavaria or Franconia.
In the 17th century, the EICHAR surname appears in various church records and municipal documents across southern Germany and parts of Switzerland. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Eichar (1612-1678), a Protestant theologian and author from Württemberg, and Anna Eichar (1632-1701), a midwife in the town of Schwäbisch Hall.
As families with the EICHAR name migrated and spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Eichhar, Eichhart, and Eichhaar. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Alsace region of France, where the name was adapted to the French spelling of Eichaire.
One of the most prominent figures bearing the EICHAR surname was Friedrich Eichar (1781-1854), a Bavarian politician and writer who served as a member of the Bavarian parliament and authored several works on political philosophy and economics.
Another notable individual was Karl Eichar (1868-1932), an Austrian engineer and inventor who held patents for various innovations in the field of automotive technology and is credited with developing one of the earliest successful four-cylinder gasoline engines.
In the 20th century, the name EICHAR gained recognition through the work of Hans Eichar (1902-1981), a German-born American artist and illustrator who was known for his contributions to children's literature and his collaborations with renowned authors such as Dr. Seuss.
While the origins of the EICHAR surname can be traced back to central Europe, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human history and cultural diversity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eichar
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Eichar 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 Eichar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 89
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eichar
Eichar 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,028 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 15,028 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 986 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 Eichar 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 | #153,769 | #154,755 | -0.6% |
| Count | 106 | 102 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eichar bearers went from 106 to 102 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 986 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,755.
FAQ
Eichar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eichar?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Eichar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Eichar?
Eichar ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Eichar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Eichar.
Has Eichar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eichar went from 106 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Eichar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Eichar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eichar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Eichar (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 Eichar mean?
A surname with uncertain origins, possibly derived from a location name. 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 Eichar (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Eichar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.