2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Erdrich
A German surname derived from the word "Erde" meaning "earth" or "soil."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Erdrich. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erdrich 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Erdrich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (12.6%) and Hispanic (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erdrich
The surname ERDRICH is of German origin, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "erde" meaning "earth" and "reich" meaning "rich" or "powerful," suggesting a connection to landowners or those with fertile lands.
The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it appeared in various spellings such as Erdreich, Erdrych, and Erderich. One of the earliest known records of the name dates back to 1387 in the municipal archives of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Erdrich is mentioned as a landowner.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name spread throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. Johann Erdrich (1520-1592) was a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony, while Hans Erdrich (1570-1636) was a renowned painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
As the name expanded beyond Germany, it also found its way into other parts of Europe. In the Netherlands, the spelling Erdrich appeared in the 17th century, with the birth of Jan Erdrich (1645-1712), a Dutch merchant and trader who established trade routes with the East Indies.
In the 18th century, the name crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was Johann Erdrich (1715-1798), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful farmer and landowner.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the surname ERDRICH. Friedrich Erdrich (1815-1892) was a German philosopher and writer known for his works on ethics and social reform, while Wilhelm Erdrich (1835-1912) was a German composer and music educator who contributed significantly to the development of choral music in Germany.
As the centuries progressed, the name ERDRICH continued to spread across various parts of the world, with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions bearing this surname. Some notable examples include Marie Erdrich (1876-1958), a French artist and sculptor, and Louise Erdrich (born 1954), a renowned American author and winner of the National Book Award for her novel "The Round House."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erdrich
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (12.6%) and Hispanic (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Erdrich 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 Erdrich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native12.6% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 10
- Two or more races8.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erdrich
Erdrich 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,880 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+19 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,880 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 18,187 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 Erdrich 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 | #160,975 | #142,788 | 11.3% |
| Count | 100 | 119 | 19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erdrich bearers went from 100 to 119 (+19.0% change). The surname moved up 18,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #142,788.
FAQ
Erdrich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erdrich?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Erdrich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Erdrich?
Erdrich ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Erdrich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Erdrich.
Has Erdrich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erdrich went from 100 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 19 (+19.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Erdrich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erdrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (12.6%) and Hispanic (8.4%). 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 Erdrich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erdrich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (12.6%), Hispanic (8.4%). 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 Erdrich (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 Erdrich mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Erde" meaning "earth" or "soil." 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 Erdrich (0.04 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 common is the surname Erdrich?
Want to know how many people have the last name Erdrich? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.