2000
#10,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,849
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Eisen
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "iron," often referring to an ironworker or a person who lived near an iron mine or forge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,733 Americans carry the last name Eisen. That puts it at #12,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eisen 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
2.7K
1 in 125,413
Census rank
#12,436
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,383 bearers of the surname Eisen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eisen
The surname Eisen has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. It is derived from the German word "eisen," which means "iron," and was likely an occupational surname given to those who worked as blacksmiths or ironmongers.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which mentions an individual named "Henricus Eisen" in 1224. The name was also present in the town of Coblenz, where a certain "Johannes Eisen" is mentioned in a document dated 1292.
As the name spread throughout Germany, it took on various spellings and regional variations, such as Eysen, Eysenn, and Eisenhart. In some areas, the name was also associated with places containing the word "eisen," such as Eisenach, a town in Thuringia.
One notable figure bearing the Eisen surname was Hans Eisen, a German artist and sculptor who lived from 1470 to 1520. He was renowned for his intricate woodcarvings and is considered one of the most skilled woodcarvers of the Renaissance period.
Another individual of historical significance was Johann Philipp Eisen, a German-born French painter and engraver who lived from 1655 to 1719. He was known for his exquisite book illustrations and was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris.
In the 17th century, the Eisen name also appeared in England, likely due to German immigration. One such individual was Johann Eisen, a German-born English painter and engraver active in the early 1600s.
The Eisen surname also found its way to the United States, with early immigrants arriving in the 18th and 19th centuries. One notable American bearing the name was Gustav Eisen, a Swedish-born entomologist and botanist who lived from 1847 to 1940. He made significant contributions to the study of insects and plants in California.
Another prominent figure was Franz Eisen, an Austrian-born American engineer and inventor who lived from 1868 to 1949. He is best known for his work on the development of the Eisen process, a method for the manufacture of high-quality steel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eisen
Among Census respondents with the surname Eisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Eisen 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 Eisen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,227
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 68
- Two or more races2.3% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eisen
Eisen 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
#9,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,377
+528 bearers (+18.5%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 736 places
2020
#12,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,383
-994 bearers (-29.4%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 2,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,357 | 2,849 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,621 | 3,377 | 1.14 | +528 bearers (+18.5%) | Up 736 places |
| 2020 | #12,436 | 2,383 | 0.80 | -994 bearers (-29.4%) | Down 2,815 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 Eisen 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 | #9,621 | #12,436 | -29.3% |
| Count | 3,377 | 2,383 | -29.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 0.80 | -30.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eisen bearers went from 3,377 to 2,383 (-29.4% change). The surname moved down 2,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,621 to #12,436.
FAQ
Eisen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eisen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,733 living Americans carry the surname Eisen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,413 residents.
How common is Eisen?
Eisen ranks #12,436 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,383 people with the surname Eisen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Eisen.
Has Eisen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eisen went from 3,377 recorded bearers to 2,383. That is a decrease of 994 (-29.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,621 to #12,436.
What does the Census say about the background of Eisen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Eisen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eisen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Eisen (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 Eisen mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "iron," often referring to an ironworker or a person who lived near an iron mine or forge. 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 Eisen (0.80 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 Eisen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.