2000
#16,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,568
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Ek
A surname derived from the Old Norse word 'eik', meaning oak tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,129 Americans carry the last name Ek. That puts it at #15,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ek 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
2.1K
1 in 160,993
Census rank
#15,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,857 bearers of the surname Ek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ek, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%) and Hispanic (15.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ek
The surname "Ek" originates from the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch word "eik," which means "oak tree." This name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, originating from a geographical location or a person's occupation related to oak trees or oak forests.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Ek" can be traced back to the 16th century in Dutch historical records and archives. One notable example is Pieter Ek, a merchant from Amsterdam who was mentioned in a trade document dated 1587.
In the 17th century, the name "Ek" appeared in various Dutch municipalities' records, including birth, marriage, and death registers. For instance, Jan Ek, born in 1632 in Utrecht, was a renowned woodcarver whose intricate works adorned several churches in the region.
As the Dutch expanded their colonial presence in the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname "Ek" spread to other parts of the world. One notable figure was Cornelis Ek, a Dutch settler who arrived in South Africa in 1688 and established a farm in the Cape Colony.
Another significant individual bearing this surname was Pieter Ek, a Dutch naval officer born in 1725 in Zeeland. He achieved fame for his exploits during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, commanding a fleet that engaged the British in several decisive battles.
In the 19th century, the surname "Ek" gained recognition in the field of academia. Johan Ek, born in 1842 in Amsterdam, was a renowned linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages.
As people migrated and settled in different parts of the world, the surname "Ek" underwent various spelling variations, such as "Eck," "Ecke," and "Ekke." These variations can be found in historical records from various European countries, including Germany, Belgium, and France.
The name "Ek" has also been associated with several notable figures in more recent history, such as the Swedish writer and poet Tomas Ek, born in 1907, who was renowned for his poetic works exploring themes of nature and rural life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ek
Among Census respondents with the surname Ek, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%) and Hispanic (15.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ek 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 Ek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.0% · 1,226
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.0% · 298
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 282
- Two or more races2.5% · 46
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ek
Ek 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
#15,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,882
+314 bearers (+20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,223 places
2020
#15,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,857
-25 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,769 | 1,568 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,546 | 1,882 | 0.64 | +314 bearers (+20.0%) | Up 1,223 places |
| 2020 | #15,221 | 1,857 | 0.62 | -25 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 325 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 Ek 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 | #15,546 | #15,221 | 2.1% |
| Count | 1,882 | 1,857 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.62 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ek bearers went from 1,882 to 1,857 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,546 to #15,221.
FAQ
Ek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ek?
Name Census estimates that about 2,129 living Americans carry the surname Ek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,993 residents.
How common is Ek?
Ek ranks #15,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,857 people with the surname Ek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Ek.
Has Ek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ek went from 1,882 recorded bearers to 1,857. That is a decrease of 25 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,546 to #15,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Ek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ek, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%) and Hispanic (15.2%). 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 Ek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.0% (1,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%), Hispanic (15.2%). 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 Ek (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 Ek mean?
A surname derived from the Old Norse word 'eik', meaning oak tree. 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 Ek (0.62 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 Ek?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.