2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ekmekjian
An Armenian surname derived from the word for "bread" or "baker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Ekmekjian. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ekmekjian 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Ekmekjian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ekmekjian, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ekmekjian
The surname "EKMEKJIAN" is of Armenian origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Armenian word "ekmek," which means "bread," and the suffix "-jian," indicating a profession or occupation. This suggests that the name was originally associated with someone who worked as a baker or was involved in the production or selling of bread.
The earliest known records of the name can be traced back to the 15th century in the Armenian communities of the Ottoman Empire, particularly in the regions of Anatolia and the Caucasus. It is believed that the name may have originated in the city of Van, located in present-day eastern Turkey, which had a large Armenian population at the time.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various Armenian manuscripts and church records, indicating its prevalence among the Armenian diaspora. One notable mention is found in the Chronicles of Arakel of Tabriz, a 17th-century Armenian historian and poet, who documented the lives of prominent Armenian families and individuals.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Ekmekjian was Hovhannes Ekmekjian, a prominent Armenian merchant and philanthropist who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for his support of Armenian educational institutions and his contributions to the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage.
Another notable figure was Karapet Ekmekjian, an Armenian writer and educator born in 1836 in the city of Karin (present-day Erzurum, Turkey). He was a pioneer in the field of Armenian literature and played a significant role in the development of modern Armenian education.
In the 19th century, the Ekmekjian family gained prominence in the Armenian communities of the Ottoman Empire and later in the diaspora communities of Europe and the Americas. One such figure was Hagop Ekmekjian, a renowned Armenian poet and writer who was born in 1867 in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey). His works were influential in shaping the literary landscape of the Armenian diaspora.
During the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923, many members of the Ekmekjian family were among the victims, leading to the dispersal of the name across various parts of the world. One notable survivor was Kevork Ekmekjian, a writer and intellectual who fled to France and became a prominent voice in raising awareness about the atrocities committed against the Armenian people.
Despite the tragedies of the past, the Ekmekjian surname has endured and can be found among Armenian communities worldwide, serving as a testament to the resilience and perseverance of the Armenian people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ekmekjian
Among Census respondents with the surname Ekmekjian, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ekmekjian 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 Ekmekjian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ekmekjian
Ekmekjian appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-8 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 5,835 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 Ekmekjian 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 | #148,347 | #154,182 | -3.9% |
| Count | 111 | 103 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ekmekjian bearers went from 111 to 103 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 5,835 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,182.
FAQ
Ekmekjian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ekmekjian?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Ekmekjian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Ekmekjian?
Ekmekjian ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Ekmekjian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ekmekjian.
Has Ekmekjian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ekmekjian went from 111 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Ekmekjian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ekmekjian, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Ekmekjian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ekmekjian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Ekmekjian (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 Ekmekjian mean?
An Armenian surname derived from the word for "bread" or "baker". 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 Ekmekjian (0.03 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 last name Ekmekjian?
See how many people have the surname Ekmekjian on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.