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

Erard, 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 Erard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Erard in America

Erard is the 91625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Erard surname appeared 201 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 Erard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Erard 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 Erard

The surname ERARD originated in France and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is likely derived from the Germanic personal name Erhard or Erart, which itself comes from the elements "eru" meaning honor and "hard" meaning brave or hardy. Similar spellings of the name in its early forms include Erart, Erart, and Erart.

One of the earliest known references to the surname ERARD is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as a landowner in Normandy. This suggests that the ERARD family was established in the region during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show an Anselme ERARD who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Troyes in the Champagne region of France. His son, Jacques ERARD, is mentioned in a charter from 1271 as inheriting his father's estate.

Another notable figure was Jean ERARD, a French clockmaker and inventor who lived from 1554 to 1624. He is credited with inventing the first modern upright piano, known as the ERARD piano, which became popular throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In England, the surname ERARD is believed to have been introduced by Norman settlers following the conquest. One of the earliest recorded examples is Robert ERARD, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1176.

During the Middle Ages, the ERARD family held lands and estates in various parts of France, including the regions of Champagne, Burgundy, and Normandy. The name is also associated with several place names, such as Erard-le-Chêne and Erard-la-Ville, which were likely derived from the family's landholdings.

Other notable individuals with the surname ERARD include:

1. Sébastien ERARD (1752-1831), a French instrument maker and inventor who perfected the double-escapement action for pianos, which became the standard for most modern grand pianos.

2. Pierre ERARD (1796-1855), a French composer and pianist who was the nephew of Sébastien ERARD.

3. Louis ERARD (1892-1976), a Swiss watchmaker and founder of the ERARD watch company, known for producing high-quality timepieces.

4. Jean-Baptiste ERARD (1767-1846), a French harp maker and inventor who created the modern double-action pedal harp.

5. Nicolas ERARD (1613-1687), a French engraver and printmaker known for his intricate etchings and engravings of religious and historical scenes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Erard

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!