2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ernhart
Of Germanic origin, suggesting someone of honorable character or nobility.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Ernhart. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ernhart 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Ernhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ernhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ernhart
The surname Ernhart is of German origin, originating in the southern regions of Germany during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "arn" meaning "eagle" and "hart" meaning "brave" or "hardy," suggesting that the name might have been given to someone who possessed qualities associated with an eagle, such as courage or keen eyesight.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ernhart can be found in the Bavarian town records of Regensburg, dating back to the late 15th century, where a merchant named Hans Ernhart is mentioned as a resident of the town. Another early record is from the city of Nuremberg, where a blacksmith named Jorg Ernhart is recorded in the guild registers of the early 16th century.
The Ernhart surname is also found in several historical manuscripts and documents from various regions of southern Germany. For instance, a farmer named Caspar Ernhart is mentioned in a land deed from the village of Schwabhausen in the year 1597. Additionally, a soldier named Wilhelm Ernhart is listed among the casualties of the Thirty Years' War in a chronicle from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, dated 1632.
One notable figure bearing the Ernhart surname was Johann Ernhart, a renowned clockmaker from the city of Augsburg, who lived from 1637 to 1705. His intricate and highly accurate timepieces were sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time. Another significant individual was Margarethe Ernhart, a prominent figure in the Reformation movement in Germany, who lived from 1508 to 1572 and was known for her active role in promoting Lutheran teachings.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Ernhart family migrated to the region of Alsace, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Here, the name was sometimes spelled as Ernhardt or Erndhart, reflecting the linguistic influences of the area. One noteworthy individual from this period was Johann Georg Ernhardt, a respected scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Strasbourg from 1682 to 1721.
While the name Ernhart is not as common today as it once was in its regions of origin, it still holds historical significance and serves as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of southern Germany and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ernhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Ernhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Ernhart 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 Ernhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ernhart
Ernhart 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,751 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-13 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 4,751 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 12,182 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 Ernhart 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 | #140,157 | #152,339 | -8.7% |
| Count | 119 | 106 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ernhart bearers went from 119 to 106 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 12,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #152,339.
FAQ
Ernhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ernhart?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Ernhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Ernhart?
Ernhart ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Ernhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Ernhart.
Has Ernhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ernhart went from 119 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Ernhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ernhart, 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 Ernhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ernhart 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 Ernhart (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 Ernhart mean?
Of Germanic origin, suggesting someone of honorable character or nobility. 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 Ernhart (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 have the surname Ernhart?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.