2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Emaus
A surname derived from the place name Emmaus, a village in ancient Palestine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Emaus. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emaus 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Emaus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emaus
The surname Emaus has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Emmaus," which is a biblical place name mentioned in the New Testament. This place name is thought to have its roots in the Hebrew language, possibly referring to a village or town near Jerusalem.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emaus can be found in historical records from the city of Worms, located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In the late 1500s, there are references to a family by the name of Emaus residing in this region. Their surname may have been influenced by the nearby town of Emmerich, which has a similar-sounding name.
During the 17th century, the Emaus surname appeared in various church records and tax registers across different parts of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. This suggests that the name had spread to various regions, possibly due to migration or trade.
In the 18th century, a notable individual named Johann Emaus (1701-1778) was a prominent theologian and academic in the city of Leipzig. He authored several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig for many years.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Emaus (1822-1892), a German sculptor and artist who gained recognition for his intricate wood carvings and religious artworks. Some of his pieces can still be found in churches and museums across Germany.
The Emaus surname also found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and France. In the 19th century, a Dutch painter named Jacobus Emaus (1832-1899) achieved recognition for his landscape paintings, many of which depicted scenes from the Dutch countryside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Emaus surname in the United States can be traced back to the early 19th century, when a family with this name settled in Pennsylvania. They were likely of German descent, immigrating to the New World in search of better opportunities.
Throughout history, the Emaus surname has been associated with various professions, including academics, artists, and craftsmen. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark across various regions and cultures, reflecting the rich tapestry of human migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emaus
Among Census respondents with the surname Emaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Emaus 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 Emaus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 96
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emaus
Emaus 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 5,424 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 Emaus 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 | #150,452 | #145,028 | 3.6% |
| Count | 109 | 116 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emaus bearers went from 109 to 116 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 5,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #145,028.
FAQ
Emaus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emaus?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Emaus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Emaus?
Emaus ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Emaus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Emaus.
Has Emaus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emaus went from 109 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 7 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Emaus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Emaus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emaus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Emaus (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 Emaus mean?
A surname derived from the place name Emmaus, a village in ancient Palestine. 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 Emaus (0.04 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 Emaus?
You can see how common the surname Emaus is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.