Find out how popular the last name Emig is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Emig.

Emig, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Emig surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Emig in America

Emig is the 14358th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Emig surname appeared 2,083 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Emig.

We can also compare 2010 data for Emig to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Emig

The surname Emig originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "ameiz," meaning "ant," which may have been used as a nickname for someone who was diligent or hardworking, akin to the industrious nature of ants.

One of the earliest known records of the name Emig can be found in the registers of the city of Cologne, where an individual named Hans Emig was mentioned in 1567. Another early documented occurrence is in the town of Worms, where a certain Lukas Emig was recorded in 1586.

During the 17th century, the name Emig appeared in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. In the village of Haßloch, located in the Palatinate region, a family by the name of Emig was documented in 1635. This family later contributed to the migration of German settlers to the American colonies, with Johannes Emig arriving in Pennsylvania in 1749.

Notable individuals with the surname Emig throughout history include Johann Georg Emig (1723-1808), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Neu-Isenburg. Another prominent figure was Carl Emig (1818-1884), a German-American artist and lithographer who was renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations.

In the 19th century, the name Emig gained recognition in the United States, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Henry Emig (1836-1912), a businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania, from 1878 to 1880. Another notable American was Gustav Emig (1844-1908), a German-born architect who designed several prominent buildings in Philadelphia, including the former Central High School.

Other historical figures with the surname Emig include Hermann Emig (1880-1965), a German chess player and author who wrote extensively on the game's strategies and tactics. In the field of literature, Robert Emig (1919-1994) was an American author and educator who contributed significantly to the study of writing and composition.

While the surname Emig may have evolved from different linguistic roots or spelling variations over time, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it has been documented for several centuries, spanning various professions and areas of influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Emig

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Emig.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Emig was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Emig has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Emig was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Emig, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!