2000
#11,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,622
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Emrick
A German occupational surname referring to a ruler, leader, or powerful person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,578 Americans carry the last name Emrick. That puts it at #13,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emrick 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
2.6K
1 in 132,954
Census rank
#13,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,248 bearers of the surname Emrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emrick
The surname Emrick is of German origin, derived from the Old German personal name Emmerich or Emrich. It is believed to have originated in the 8th or 9th century in the regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the areas that were part of the Holy Roman Empire.
The name Emmerich or Emrich is thought to be a compound of two Old German words, "amo" meaning "work" or "labor" and "ric" meaning "power" or "rule." Together, the name could be interpreted as "powerful worker" or "one who rules through labor."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emrick can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the Middle Ages. This document, dated around the 12th century, mentions an individual named Emmericus or Emericus, likely an early variant spelling of the name.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various German chronicles and records, such as the Annales Sancti Blasii, which mentions an Emricus de Lapide (Emrich von Stein) in 1249.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Emrick was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Johann Emrick, a 15th-century German priest and theologian from Nuremberg, who lived from approximately 1420 to 1490.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Georg Emrich, a German Reformation theologian and writer, born in 1516 in Hesse. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and wrote extensively on religious matters.
Another notable figure was Hans Emrick, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1555 to 1635. He was known for his intricate engravings and woodcuts, many of which depicted religious subjects and scenes from the Bible.
During the 17th century, the name Emrick appeared in various German-speaking regions, including the Palatinate and Alsace. One individual of note was Johann Emrick, a scholar and author born in Strasbourg in 1631, who wrote several works on philosophy and theology.
In the 18th century, the surname Emrick continued to be found in German records and documents. One notable individual was Johann Friedrich Emrick, a German composer and musician born in 1738 in Saxony. He composed numerous works for church and instrumental ensembles.
Throughout its history, the surname Emrick has been associated with individuals from various professions, including clergy, scholars, artists, and musicians. While its origins can be traced back to the early Middle Ages, the name continues to hold significance in German culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Emrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Emrick 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 Emrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,069
- Two or more races3.6% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 45
- Black or African American1.7% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emrick
Emrick 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
#12,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,386
-236 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,780 places
2020
#13,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,248
-138 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,109 | 2,622 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,889 | 2,386 | 0.81 | -236 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 1,780 places |
| 2020 | #13,045 | 2,248 | 0.75 | -138 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 156 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 Emrick 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 | #12,889 | #13,045 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,386 | 2,248 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.75 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emrick bearers went from 2,386 to 2,248 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,889 to #13,045.
FAQ
Emrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emrick?
Name Census estimates that about 2,578 living Americans carry the surname Emrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,954 residents.
How common is Emrick?
Emrick ranks #13,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,248 people with the surname Emrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,578), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Emrick.
Has Emrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emrick went from 2,386 recorded bearers to 2,248. That is a decrease of 138 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,889 to #13,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Emrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Emrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Emrick (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 Emrick mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a ruler, leader, or powerful person. 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 Emrick (0.75 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 are called Emrick?
If you just want to know how many people are called Emrick, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.