2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Emberg
A German surname derived from the word "Berg" meaning mountain or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Emberg. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emberg 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Emberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emberg
The surname "EMBERG" has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "em" meaning "ant" and "burg" meaning "hill" or "fortified settlement." This suggests that the name may have referred to a location inhabited by ants or a settlement situated on an ant-infested hill.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name "EMBERG" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dated around 1190. The name appears as "Emburch," which is likely an earlier spelling variation.
In the 13th century, the name "EMBERG" appeared in a manuscript from the town of Nürnberg, where a merchant named Johannes Emberg was documented as a prominent figure in the local trade guild. This suggests that the name had already established itself among the urban population of medieval Germany.
During the 16th century, the surname "EMBERG" gained notable recognition through the work of Hans Emberg, a German cartographer and mapmaker born in 1525. His detailed maps of various regions in Europe were highly regarded in his time and contributed to the advancement of cartography.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Emberg (1609-1683), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. His writings on ethics and metaphysics were widely studied and influenced the intellectual discourse of his era.
In the 19th century, the name "EMBERG" was associated with a family of artists from the city of Dresden. Johann Emberg (1798-1872) and his son, Gustav Emberg (1831-1906), were both acclaimed painters known for their landscapes and portraiture, which captured the beauty of the German countryside and the nobility of the time.
Throughout history, the surname "EMBERG" has undergone various spelling variations, including "Emburch," "Emburge," and "Embergk," reflecting the linguistic and regional differences across different parts of Germany. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to its Old German roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Emberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Emberg 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 Emberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emberg
Emberg 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 489 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-25 bearers (-20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 489 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -25 bearers (-20.5%) | Down 19,122 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 Emberg 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 | #137,327 | #156,449 | -13.9% |
| Count | 122 | 97 | -20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emberg bearers went from 122 to 97 (-20.5% change). The surname moved down 19,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #156,449.
FAQ
Emberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emberg?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Emberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Emberg?
Emberg ranks #156,449 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 97 people with the surname Emberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), 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 Emberg.
Has Emberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emberg went from 122 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 25 (-20.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Emberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Emberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Emberg (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 Emberg mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Berg" meaning mountain or hill. 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 Emberg (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 surname Emberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.