2000
#9,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Eichler
An occupational surname referring to an acorn gatherer or oak tree planter in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,382 Americans carry the last name Eichler. That puts it at #10,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eichler 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
3.4K
1 in 101,347
Census rank
#10,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,949 bearers of the surname Eichler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eichler
The surname Eichler originates from Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Eiche," meaning oak, and the suffix "-ler," indicating a person or someone associated with a particular thing or place. Therefore, Eichler can be translated as "someone who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Eichler can be found in various medieval documents and records from various regions of Germany, such as the Rhineland, Bavaria, and Saxony. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Eichler, a landowner mentioned in a deed from the town of Mainz, dated 1278.
In the 14th century, the name Eichler appeared in the Stadtbücher (city books) of several German cities, including Nürnberg and Augsburg. These records often contained information about citizens, property ownership, and legal transactions.
During the 16th century, the name Eichler was associated with several notable figures. Johann Eichler (1512-1576) was a German mathematician and astronomer who worked as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Hans Eichler (1520-1589) was a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings.
In the 17th century, the Eichler family produced a renowned theologian and philosopher, Johann Gottfried Eichler (1667-1739), who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig and wrote several influential works on ethics and metaphysics.
Another notable bearer of the name was Karl Friedrich Eichler (1786-1854), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification. He authored several important works, including "Synopsis of German Phycology" and "Flora of Prussia."
As the Eichler family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the surname underwent various spelling variations, such as Eichler, Eicheller, Eichlerin, and Eichelman. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects or the localization of the name in different areas.
While the surname Eichler is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in regions with German-speaking populations or areas influenced by German culture and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eichler
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Eichler 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 Eichler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,727
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 99
- Two or more races2.5% · 75
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eichler
Eichler 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
#10,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,208
+108 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 416 places
2020
#10,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,949
-259 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,625 | 3,100 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,041 | 3,208 | 1.09 | +108 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 416 places |
| 2020 | #10,391 | 2,949 | 0.99 | -259 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 350 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 Eichler 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 | #10,041 | #10,391 | -3.5% |
| Count | 3,208 | 2,949 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.99 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eichler bearers went from 3,208 to 2,949 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 350 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,041 to #10,391.
FAQ
Eichler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eichler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,382 living Americans carry the surname Eichler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,347 residents.
How common is Eichler?
Eichler ranks #10,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,949 people with the surname Eichler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,382), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Eichler.
Has Eichler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eichler went from 3,208 recorded bearers to 2,949. That is a decrease of 259 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,041 to #10,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Eichler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Eichler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eichler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Eichler (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 Eichler mean?
An occupational surname referring to an acorn gatherer or oak tree planter in German. 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 Eichler (0.99 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 Eichler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.