2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Erdly
An occupational German surname derived from the Middle High German word "erde", meaning earth or soil, likely referring to an occupation involving earth or land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Erdly. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erdly 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Erdly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erdly
The surname Erdly is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the southern regions near the Black Forest. Its roots can be traced back to the early 13th century. Erdly is thought to be a locative name, derived from a place name or a topographic feature, such as a village or a geographic location.
One theory suggests that Erdly may have evolved from the Old High German word "erd," meaning "earth" or "soil." This could indicate that the name was originally given to someone who lived near or worked with the earth, such as a farmer or a landowner. Another possibility is that the name is linked to the German word "Erde," which also means "earth" or "soil."
Early records of the Erdly surname can be found in various medieval documents, including parish registers and tax records from the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which references an individual named Johannes Erdly in 1423.
During the 16th century, the Erdly name appears to have spread beyond its original region, with records showing bearers of the name in other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. One notable figure from this period was Hans Erdly, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau from 1521 to 1589.
In the 17th century, the Erdly surname gained prominence with the birth of Johann Caspar Erdly (1642-1707), a renowned German composer and organist. He was born in Nuremberg and is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of the German organ school during the Baroque period.
Another notable bearer of the Erdly name was Wilhelm Erdly (1789-1861), a German politician and jurist who served as a member of the Prussian National Assembly and played a significant role in the drafting of the Prussian Constitution of 1848.
In the 19th century, the Erdly surname continued to be found across various regions of Germany, as well as in other parts of Europe where German immigrants had settled. One example is Friedrich Erdly (1833-1902), a German-born artist and painter who lived and worked in Austria.
As the Erdly name spread and evolved over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, such as Erdlich, Erdly, Erdlie, and Erdlein. These variations can be found in historical records and documents from different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erdly
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Erdly 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 Erdly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 92
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erdly
Erdly 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+11 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,679 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-20 bearers (-16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,679 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.9%) | Down 15,129 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 Erdly 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 | #141,140 | #156,269 | -10.7% |
| Count | 118 | 98 | -16.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erdly bearers went from 118 to 98 (-16.9% change). The surname moved down 15,129 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #156,269.
FAQ
Erdly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erdly?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Erdly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Erdly?
Erdly ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 98 people with the surname Erdly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Erdly.
Has Erdly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erdly went from 118 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Erdly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) 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 Erdly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erdly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%), 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 Erdly (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 Erdly mean?
An occupational German surname derived from the Middle High German word "erde", meaning earth or soil, likely referring to an occupation involving earth or land. 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 Erdly (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Erdly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.