2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Erlikh
A surname derived from the Yiddish word "erlikh," meaning honorable or virtuous.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Erlikh. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erlikh 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Erlikh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erlikh, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erlikh
The surname ERLIKH has its origins in the Middle Ages and is believed to have derived from the German word "erlich," which means "honest" or "honorable." It is likely that this name was initially given as a descriptive name to someone who was perceived as having a reputation for honesty and integrity.
The earliest recorded instances of the ERLIKH surname can be traced back to the 14th century in the region of what is now modern-day Germany. During this period, the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread among the general population, and it is possible that the ERLIKH name was adopted by families living in various parts of Germany.
One of the earliest known references to the ERLIKH name can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. This chronicle mentions a certain Johannes Erlikh, who was a prominent citizen of the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the ERLIKH surname began to spread throughout other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Records from this time period show individuals with this name living in areas such as Poland, Bohemia, and Austria.
A notable figure bearing the ERLIKH surname was Hans Erlikh, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1551 to 1612. He was renowned for his intricate etchings and engravings, many of which depicted religious and allegorical scenes.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the ERLIKH name continued to be found in various parts of Europe, including Germany, Austria, and the Czech lands. One prominent individual from this era was Johann Erlikh, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1674 to 1748.
In the 19th century, as immigration from Europe to other parts of the world increased, the ERLIKH surname began to spread to new regions. For example, there are records of individuals with this name settling in the United States and other parts of North America during this period.
One notable figure from this time was Karl Erlikh, a German-born American industrialist who lived from 1821 to 1896. He was a pioneer in the steel industry and played a significant role in the development of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the ERLIKH surname has been associated with a diverse range of professions and occupations, including academics, artists, businesspeople, and professionals in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erlikh
Among Census respondents with the surname Erlikh, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Erlikh 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 Erlikh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erlikh
Erlikh 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,358 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,813 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,358 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,813 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 Erlikh 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 | #144,141 | #147,954 | -2.6% |
| Count | 115 | 112 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erlikh bearers went from 115 to 112 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,813 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,954.
FAQ
Erlikh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erlikh?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Erlikh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Erlikh?
Erlikh ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Erlikh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Erlikh.
Has Erlikh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erlikh went from 115 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Erlikh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erlikh, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Erlikh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erlikh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Erlikh (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 Erlikh mean?
A surname derived from the Yiddish word "erlikh," meaning honorable or virtuous. 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 Erlikh (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 Erlikh?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Erlikh at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.