2000
#12,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,234
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Ellenberger
A German occupational surname referring to a tax collector or customs official.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,314 Americans carry the last name Ellenberger. That puts it at #14,280 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellenberger 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
2.3K
1 in 148,122
Census rank
#14,280
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,018 bearers of the surname Ellenberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14280th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellenberger
The surname Ellenberger is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where many place names incorporate the word "Ellenberg" or variations of it, such as "Ellenbogen." These names likely referred to locations with hills or elevated terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Ellenberg, located in the Bavarian region of Franconia. This document mentions a certain "Johannes Ellenberger," who was likely a resident of or associated with the town.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the German population began to spread across Europe, the Ellenberger surname started to appear in various records and documents in other regions. For example, in 1612, a man named Hans Ellenberger was documented as a resident of the city of Nuremberg.
In the 18th century, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Johann Christoph Ellenberger (1718-1784), a German architect and engineer known for his work on several notable buildings in the city of Dresden. Another notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Ellenberger (1825-1891), a German veterinarian and author who made significant contributions to the field of veterinary medicine.
In the 19th century, the Ellenberger surname continued to spread across Europe and beyond. One notable figure from this period was Christian Friedrich Ellenberger (1804-1876), a German-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in the 1860s.
As the 20th century dawned, the Ellenberger name gained further recognition with individuals like Wilhelm Ellenberger (1848-1929), a German veterinary anatomist and author of several influential textbooks on veterinary anatomy. Another notable figure was Hermann Ellenberger (1873-1963), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in the state of Wisconsin.
Throughout its history, the Ellenberger surname has been associated with various professions, including architecture, engineering, veterinary medicine, politics, and agriculture. While its origins can be traced back to the hills and elevated terrain of Bavaria, the name has since spread worldwide, carried by generations of individuals with diverse backgrounds and accomplishments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellenberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellenberger 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 Ellenberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,892
- Two or more races2.6% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellenberger
Ellenberger 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
#11,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,627
+393 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 779 places
2020
#14,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,018
-609 bearers (-23.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 2,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,698 | 2,234 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,919 | 2,627 | 0.89 | +393 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 779 places |
| 2020 | #14,280 | 2,018 | 0.68 | -609 bearers (-23.2%) | Down 2,361 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 Ellenberger 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 | #11,919 | #14,280 | -19.8% |
| Count | 2,627 | 2,018 | -23.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.68 | -24.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellenberger bearers went from 2,627 to 2,018 (-23.2% change). The surname moved down 2,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,919 to #14,280.
FAQ
Ellenberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellenberger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,314 living Americans carry the surname Ellenberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,122 residents.
How common is Ellenberger?
Ellenberger ranks #14,280 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,018 people with the surname Ellenberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Ellenberger.
Has Ellenberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellenberger went from 2,627 recorded bearers to 2,018. That is a decrease of 609 (-23.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,919 to #14,280.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellenberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Ellenberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,892 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellenberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Ellenberger (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 Ellenberger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a tax collector or customs official. 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 Ellenberger (0.68 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 Ellenberger?
See how many people have the surname Ellenberger on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.