2000
#8,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Eilers
A German occupational surname referring to a manufacturer of buckets, barrels, or tubs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,120 Americans carry the last name Eilers. That puts it at #8,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eilers 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
4.1K
1 in 83,193
Census rank
#8,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,593 bearers of the surname Eilers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eilers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eilers
The surname Eilers has its origins in Germany, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It first appeared during the medieval period, around the 12th century.
Eilers is believed to be derived from the Old German word "Eile," which means "haste" or "hurry." It was likely a descriptive name given to someone who was known for their speed or quickness, possibly a messenger or a runner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eilers can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in reference to a landowner or nobleman.
In the 14th century, the spelling variations of the name included Eiler, Eyllers, and Eylars. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of the scribes who recorded the names.
One notable bearer of the name Eilers was Johann Eilers (1573-1629), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of logarithms and astronomical calculations.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Albertus Eilers (1637-1706), a Dutch theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on ethics and metaphysics.
In the 18th century, Johann Philipp Eilers (1719-1781) was a German composer and organist who contributed to the development of church music during the Baroque era.
The 19th century saw the birth of Rudolf Eilers (1834-1892), a German painter known for his landscape and genre paintings, many of which depicted rural life in northern Germany.
Towards the end of the 19th century, August Eilers (1858-1934) was a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Hackesche Höfe, a complex of interconnected courtyards and buildings.
While the surname Eilers has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eilers
Among Census respondents with the surname Eilers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Eilers 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 Eilers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 3,338
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 99
- Two or more races2.8% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eilers
Eilers 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
#8,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,847
+232 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#8,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,593
-254 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,402 | 3,615 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,562 | 3,847 | 1.30 | +232 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #8,760 | 3,593 | 1.20 | -254 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 198 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 Eilers 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 | #8,562 | #8,760 | -2.3% |
| Count | 3,847 | 3,593 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.20 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eilers bearers went from 3,847 to 3,593 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 198 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,562 to #8,760.
FAQ
Eilers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eilers?
Name Census estimates that about 4,120 living Americans carry the surname Eilers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,193 residents.
How common is Eilers?
Eilers ranks #8,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,593 people with the surname Eilers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Eilers.
Has Eilers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eilers went from 3,847 recorded bearers to 3,593. That is a decrease of 254 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,562 to #8,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Eilers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eilers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Eilers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (3,338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eilers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Eilers (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 Eilers mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a manufacturer of buckets, barrels, or tubs. 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 Eilers (1.20 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 have the surname Eilers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.