2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Erkert
A German surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Erkert. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erkert 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Erkert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erkert, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erkert
The surname Erkert has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "ercker," meaning a protruding corner or bay window, suggesting that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived in a house with such a feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erkert can be found in the parish records of the town of Meiningen, in the former Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, where a certain Hans Erkert was mentioned in 1587. Another early reference is from the nearby town of Schmalkalden, where a Johann Erkert was listed in the town's tax records in 1612.
The Erkert name can also be traced to the region of Franconia, in modern-day Bavaria, where it is thought to have evolved from the similar-sounding place name "Erkertshofen." This village, located near the city of Nuremberg, was first mentioned in records from the 13th century, and it is likely that some of the earliest bearers of the Erkert surname hailed from this area.
Notable individuals with the surname Erkert include Johann Erkert (1637-1718), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony, who wrote extensively on the topic of biblical exegesis. Another figure of note was Friedrich Erkert (1782-1861), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
In the 19th century, the name Erkert can be found in various records from the German states, such as the birth of Carl Erkert in Meiningen in 1825, and the marriage of Wilhelm Erkert and Katharina Müller in the town of Oberesslingen, near Stuttgart, in 1871.
Other notable individuals bearing the Erkert surname include the German artist and illustrator Hans Erkert (1890-1967), who was known for his woodcut prints and illustrations for children's books, and the American businessman and entrepreneur John Erkert (1921-2003), who founded the successful manufacturing company Erkert Traction Products.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erkert
Among Census respondents with the surname Erkert, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Erkert 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 Erkert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 111
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erkert
Erkert 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,228 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 18,228 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 9,549 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 Erkert 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 | #156,044 | #146,495 | 6.1% |
| Count | 104 | 114 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erkert bearers went from 104 to 114 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 9,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #146,495.
FAQ
Erkert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erkert?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Erkert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Erkert?
Erkert ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Erkert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Erkert.
Has Erkert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erkert went from 104 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 10 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Erkert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erkert, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Erkert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erkert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Black (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Erkert (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 Erkert mean?
A German surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Erkert (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 many people are called Erkert?
You can see how many people have the surname Erkert on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.