2000
#12,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,173
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Erhardt
A German surname derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "era" (honor) and "hard" (hardy, brave, strong).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,373 Americans carry the last name Erhardt. That puts it at #13,956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,439 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erhardt 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
2.4K
1 in 144,439
Census rank
#13,956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,069 bearers of the surname Erhardt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erhardt
The surname Erhardt has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German personal name "Erhard," which is composed of the elements "era" meaning honor and "hard" meaning brave or strong. This name was popular during the medieval period and was often given to children with the hope that they would grow up to embody these virtues.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erhardt can be found in the Codex Traditionum Wizenburgensium, a medieval manuscript from the 8th century that documented land transfers and property ownership in the region of Franconia, Germany. This suggests that the name was already in use during this time period and was likely associated with individuals of some social standing or landowners.
The name Erhardt has also been linked to various place names in Germany, such as Erhardsweiler, a small village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is possible that some individuals adopted the name based on their association with these locations or as a way to identify their place of origin.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Erhardt. One such person was Johann Erhardt (1614-1664), a German artist and engraver known for his intricate copperplate engravings depicting biblical scenes and landscapes. Another notable figure was Johann Benjamin Erhardt (1687-1756), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 19th century, the name Erhardt was associated with Jacob Friedrich Erhardt (1814-1893), a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Astor Library and the Old New York Hospital. Additionally, Paul Erhardt (1862-1933) was a German painter and illustrator known for his romantic depictions of rural life and landscapes.
Towards the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, the name Erhardt gained further prominence with individuals such as Walter Erhardt (1888-1967), a German engineer and inventor who developed the first practical direct-current electric locomotive.
These examples demonstrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals bearing the surname Erhardt throughout history, spanning fields such as art, science, architecture, and engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erhardt
Among Census respondents with the surname Erhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Erhardt 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 Erhardt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,883
- Two or more races3.8% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erhardt
Erhardt 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
#13,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,164
-9 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 998 places
2020
#13,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,069
-95 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,951 | 2,173 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,949 | 2,164 | 0.73 | -9 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 998 places |
| 2020 | #13,956 | 2,069 | 0.69 | -95 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 7 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 Erhardt 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 | #13,949 | #13,956 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,164 | 2,069 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.69 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erhardt bearers went from 2,164 to 2,069 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,949 to #13,956.
FAQ
Erhardt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erhardt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,373 living Americans carry the surname Erhardt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,439 residents.
How common is Erhardt?
Erhardt ranks #13,956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,069 people with the surname Erhardt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,373), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Erhardt.
Has Erhardt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erhardt went from 2,164 recorded bearers to 2,069. That is a decrease of 95 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,949 to #13,956.
What does the Census say about the background of Erhardt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Erhardt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erhardt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Erhardt (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 Erhardt mean?
A German surname derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "era" (honor) and "hard" (hardy, brave, strong). 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 Erhardt (0.69 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 Erhardt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.