2000
#11,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Ensminger
A habitational surname denoting someone from any of several places called Endsee in Germany, meaning "duck lake".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,555 Americans carry the last name Ensminger. That puts it at #13,154 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ensminger 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 134,150
Census rank
#13,154
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,228 bearers of the surname Ensminger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13154th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ensminger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ensminger
The surname ENSMINGER has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "enst" or "ens," meaning "grace" or "favor," and "menger," meaning "merchant" or "trader." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals involved in commercial activities who were regarded as favored or gracious in their dealings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ENSMINGER name can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, dating back to the 14th century. These records mention a merchant named Hans Ensminger, who was a prominent figure in the local trade guild.
In the 16th century, the ENSMINGER name appeared in various regions of Germany, including the Palatinate and Württemberg. Some notable individuals from this period include Johann Ensminger (1523-1589), a Lutheran theologian and reformer, and Matthias Ensminger (1547-1611), a renowned clockmaker from Augsburg.
The ENSMINGER surname also has a connection to the town of Eningen unter Achalm in Baden-Württemberg, where it is believed to have originated. The town's name was originally spelled "Ensmingen" in old records, suggesting a possible link between the place name and the surname.
As the ENSMINGER family spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ensenminger, Ensminger, and Ensmenger. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors.
One notable figure from the 18th century was Johann Georg Ensminger (1734-1809), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. In the 19th century, Carl Ensminger (1810-1871) was a prominent German-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1860 to 1861.
Throughout its history, the ENSMINGER surname has been associated with individuals from various professions, including merchants, theologians, craftsmen, and politicians. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of ENSMINGER descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ensminger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ensminger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ensminger 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 Ensminger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,002
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 98
- Two or more races3.3% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ensminger
Ensminger 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
#12,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
+17 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 800 places
2020
#13,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,228
-297 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,512 | 2,508 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,312 | 2,525 | 0.86 | +17 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 800 places |
| 2020 | #13,154 | 2,228 | 0.75 | -297 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 842 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 Ensminger 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 | #12,312 | #13,154 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,525 | 2,228 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.75 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ensminger bearers went from 2,525 to 2,228 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 842 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,312 to #13,154.
FAQ
Ensminger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ensminger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,555 living Americans carry the surname Ensminger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,150 residents.
How common is Ensminger?
Ensminger ranks #13,154 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 2,228 people with the surname Ensminger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,555), 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 Ensminger.
Has Ensminger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ensminger went from 2,525 recorded bearers to 2,228. That is a decrease of 297 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,312 to #13,154.
What does the Census say about the background of Ensminger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ensminger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ensminger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,002 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ensminger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ensminger (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 Ensminger mean?
A habitational surname denoting someone from any of several places called Endsee in Germany, meaning "duck lake". 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 Ensminger (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 have the surname Ensminger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.