2000
#42,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 476
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Emick
A surname derived from a pet form of the Germanic personal name Emmeric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 540 Americans carry the last name Emick. That puts it at #48,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 634,730 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emick 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
540
1 in 634,730
Census rank
#48,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
471
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 471 bearers of the surname Emick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emick
The surname EMICK is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ameiz" or "ameiza," meaning ant. The name was initially associated with individuals who lived near or worked with ant hills, or perhaps those who exhibited industrious behavior reminiscent of ants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the EMICK surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the principality of Anhalt in modern-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In this manuscript, dated 1362, a certain "Hans Emeicke" is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Zerbst.
During the 16th century, the EMICK name appeared in various records across the German states. Notably, in 1543, a Johann EMICK is listed as a merchant in the city of Nuremberg, a prominent center of trade and commerce at the time. Another notable figure was Christoph EMICK (1518-1592), a Lutheran theologian and author from the town of Apolda in Thuringia.
As the EMICK family spread throughout Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Emieke, Emeick, and Emeike. In the 17th century, the name found its way to the Netherlands, with records showing an Adriaen EMICK (1621-1687) as a successful textile merchant in Amsterdam.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the EMICK surname in the Americas dates back to the late 18th century. Johannes EMICK (1742-1824), a German immigrant, settled in Pennsylvania and served as a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals bearing the EMICK surname include:
1. Wilhelm EMICK (1826-1901), a German philosopher and educator known for his contributions to the field of education reform.
2. Elise EMICK (1849-1919), a German soprano and opera singer who performed in various theaters across Europe.
3. Otto EMICK (1873-1935), a German sculptor and academic who taught at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.
4. Gerhard EMICK (1909-1998), a German-American chemist and inventor, best known for his work on developing synthetic rubber during World War II.
5. Hans EMICK (1926-2003), a German-born American architect and urban planner, known for his innovative designs and contributions to sustainable urban development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emick
Among Census respondents with the surname Emick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Emick 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 Emick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 441
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 14
- Two or more races2.8% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emick
Emick 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
#46,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 455
-21 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,895 places
2020
#48,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 471
+16 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 1,716 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,830 | 476 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,725 | 455 | 0.15 | -21 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 3,895 places |
| 2020 | #48,441 | 471 | 0.16 | +16 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 1,716 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 Emick 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 | #46,725 | #48,441 | -3.7% |
| Count | 455 | 471 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.16 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emick bearers went from 455 to 471 (+3.5% change). The surname moved down 1,716 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,725 to #48,441.
FAQ
Emick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emick?
Name Census estimates that about 540 living Americans carry the surname Emick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 634,730 residents.
How common is Emick?
Emick ranks #48,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 471 people with the surname Emick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Emick.
Has Emick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emick went from 455 recorded bearers to 471. That is an increase of 16 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,725 to #48,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Emick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Emick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Emick (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 Emick mean?
A surname derived from a pet form of the Germanic personal name Emmeric. 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 Emick (0.16 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 common is the surname Emick?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Emick is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.