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

Ephraim, 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 Ephraim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ephraim in America

Ephraim is the 23691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ephraim surname appeared 1,069 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ephraim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ephraim 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 Ephraim

The surname Ephraim has its origins in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the name of one of the sons of Joseph and Asenath, who was also one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name itself means "doubly fruitful" or "twice fruitful" in Hebrew.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Ephraim dates back to the late 12th century in England, where it was likely adopted by Jewish families who had arrived in the country during the Norman Conquest. It is believed that these families chose the name as a way to honor their biblical heritage and to distinguish themselves from the predominantly Christian population.

In the 13th century, records show that a man named Isaac Ephraim was a prominent member of the Jewish community in London. He was a wealthy merchant and a respected scholar, and his name appears in several legal documents from that time period.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Ephraim began to spread throughout Europe, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations, such as Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. One notable bearer of the name was Jacob Ephraim, a German-born rabbi and philosopher who lived from 1618 to 1679.

In the 18th century, the surname Ephraim made its way to the American colonies, where it was adopted by both Jewish and Christian families. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Ephraim Williams, a colonial soldier and benefactor who founded what would later become Williams College in Massachusetts. He was born in 1715 and died in 1755.

Another notable figure with the surname Ephraim was Sir John Ephraim, a British lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in the late 18th century. He was born in 1736 and died in 1805.

In the 19th century, the surname Ephraim continued to be used by both Jewish and Christian families around the world. One prominent bearer of the name was John Ephraim Milhau, a French-American artist and illustrator who lived from 1833 to 1888.

Throughout its history, the surname Ephraim has been spelled in various ways, including Ephraym, Ephraïm, and Efraim, among others. However, the spelling "Ephraim" has become the most commonly accepted variant in English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ephraim

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

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 Ephraim 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 Ephraim 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 Ephraim was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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