2000
#21,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Eifert
A surname derived from the German word "Eifertig" meaning zealous or eager.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,491 Americans carry the last name Eifert. That puts it at #20,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 229,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eifert 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
1.5K
1 in 229,882
Census rank
#20,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,300 bearers of the surname Eifert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eifert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eifert
The surname Eifert is of German origin, originating in the Rhineland region of western Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "eifor," meaning "zealous" or "eager." This suggests that the surname may have initially referred to someone with an intense or passionate personality.
The earliest recorded instances of the Eifert surname date back to the 13th century in the town of Cologne, where it appeared in various municipal records and documents. During this time, the name was often spelled in slightly different ways, such as "Eyfert" or "Eyferd," reflecting the regional dialects and variations in orthography.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Eifert was Hans Eifert, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Trier in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was a influential figure in the local community and played a significant role in the city's trade guilds.
In the 16th century, the Eifert surname began to spread throughout other parts of Germany, including the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. This was likely due to the growing mobility of people during this period, as well as the influence of the Protestant Reformation.
One notable bearer of the Eifert name was Johann Eifert, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1580 to 1644. He was a prominent figure in the religious and intellectual circles of his time and wrote several influential works on theology and biblical interpretation.
Another individual of historical significance was Wilhelm Eifert, a German military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He rose through the ranks and was ultimately awarded the prestigious Iron Cross for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the Eifert surname made their mark in various fields. Karl Eifert (1856-1923) was a renowned architect known for his work on several important buildings in Berlin, while Otto Eifert (1879-1942) was a respected linguist and philologist who specialized in the study of ancient Germanic languages.
As the Eifert family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the surname became associated with various place names and geographic locations. For example, the town of Eifertshausen in Bavaria is believed to have been named after an early settler with the Eifert surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eifert
Among Census respondents with the surname Eifert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Eifert 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 Eifert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,200
- Two or more races2.8% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eifert
Eifert 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
#21,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,244
+104 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 290 places
2020
#20,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,300
+56 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,395 | 1,140 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,105 | 1,244 | 0.42 | +104 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 290 places |
| 2020 | #20,635 | 1,300 | 0.43 | +56 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 470 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 Eifert 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 | #21,105 | #20,635 | 2.2% |
| Count | 1,244 | 1,300 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.43 | 3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eifert bearers went from 1,244 to 1,300 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 470 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,105 to #20,635.
FAQ
Eifert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eifert?
Name Census estimates that about 1,491 living Americans carry the surname Eifert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 229,882 residents.
How common is Eifert?
Eifert ranks #20,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,300 people with the surname Eifert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,491), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Eifert.
Has Eifert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eifert went from 1,244 recorded bearers to 1,300. That is an increase of 56 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,105 to #20,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Eifert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eifert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Eifert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eifert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Eifert (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 Eifert mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Eifertig" meaning zealous or eager. 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 Eifert (0.43 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 are called Eifert?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Eifert on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.