2000
#13,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,087
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Emig
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "emich," meaning "industrious" or "hard-working."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,210 Americans carry the last name Emig. That puts it at #14,783 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,092 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emig 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
2.2K
1 in 155,092
Census rank
#14,783
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,927 bearers of the surname Emig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14783rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emig, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emig
Among Census respondents with the surname Emig, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Emig 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 Emig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,803
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 59
- Two or more races2.4% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emig
Emig 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
#14,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,083
-4 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 972 places
2020
#14,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,927
-156 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 425 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,386 | 2,087 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,358 | 2,083 | 0.71 | -4 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 972 places |
| 2020 | #14,783 | 1,927 | 0.64 | -156 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 425 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 Emig 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 | #14,358 | #14,783 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,083 | 1,927 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.64 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emig bearers went from 2,083 to 1,927 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 425 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,358 to #14,783.
FAQ
Emig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emig?
Name Census estimates that about 2,210 living Americans carry the surname Emig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,092 residents.
How common is Emig?
Emig ranks #14,783 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,927 people with the surname Emig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,210), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Emig.
Has Emig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emig went from 2,083 recorded bearers to 1,927. That is a decrease of 156 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,358 to #14,783.
What does the Census say about the background of Emig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emig, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Emig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Emig (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 Emig mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "emich," meaning "industrious" or "hard-working." 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 Emig (0.64 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 Emig?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.