2000
#7,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Emmert
Derived from the Germanic personal name Emhart, composed of the elements erm, meaning "whole," and hard, meaning "brave, hardy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,307 Americans carry the last name Emmert. That puts it at #8,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emmert 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
4.3K
1 in 79,581
Census rank
#8,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,756 bearers of the surname Emmert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emmert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emmert
The surname Emmert has its origins in Germany, first appearing in records from the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic personal name Amalrich, which was composed of the elements amal, meaning "work" or "labor," and ric, meaning "power" or "ruler." This name eventually evolved into the more modern form of Emmert.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emmert can be found in a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, dated 1387, which mentions a certain Hans Emmert. In the following centuries, the name spread throughout various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central areas.
The Emmert surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Johann Emmert (1530-1604), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another notable bearer of the name was Georg Emmert (1775-1841), a German musician and composer who is known for his contributions to church music.
In the 19th century, the Emmert name gained prominence in the United States, as many German immigrants settled in various parts of the country. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Georg Emmert (1783-1868), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent farmer and landowner.
Another notable bearer of the Emmert surname was Milton J. Emmert (1889-1970), an American educator and administrator who served as the president of several universities, including Goshen College and Ball State University. He was instrumental in the growth and development of these institutions during his tenure.
The name Emmert has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Emmertgrund, a small village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Emmertingen, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg. These place names may have influenced the spread and distribution of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emmert
Among Census respondents with the surname Emmert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Emmert 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 Emmert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,494
- Two or more races3.2% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emmert
Emmert 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
#8,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,025
+105 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 402 places
2020
#8,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,756
-269 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,833 | 3,920 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,235 | 4,025 | 1.36 | +105 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 402 places |
| 2020 | #8,442 | 3,756 | 1.26 | -269 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 207 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 Emmert 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 | #8,235 | #8,442 | -2.5% |
| Count | 4,025 | 3,756 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.26 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emmert bearers went from 4,025 to 3,756 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 207 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,235 to #8,442.
FAQ
Emmert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emmert?
Name Census estimates that about 4,307 living Americans carry the surname Emmert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,581 residents.
How common is Emmert?
Emmert ranks #8,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,756 people with the surname Emmert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Emmert.
Has Emmert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emmert went from 4,025 recorded bearers to 3,756. That is a decrease of 269 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,235 to #8,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Emmert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emmert, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Emmert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emmert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Emmert (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 Emmert mean?
Derived from the Germanic personal name Emhart, composed of the elements erm, meaning "whole," and hard, meaning "brave, hardy." 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 Emmert (1.26 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 share the surname Emmert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.