Find out how popular the last name Ernster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ernster.

Ernster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ernster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ernster in America

Ernster is the 37591st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ernster surname appeared 592 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ernster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ernster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ernster

The surname Ernster is of German origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Old High German word "ernen," which means "to harvest" or "to reap."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ernster name can be found in a church registry from the village of Schiltach in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, dated 1587. In this record, a certain Hans Ernster is mentioned as a farmer and landowner. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with agricultural occupations or landowners.

In the 17th century, there are references to an Ernster family residing in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, also located in Baden-Württemberg. A merchant named Jakob Ernster (1632-1697) is mentioned in local records as a prominent figure in the town's trade guild.

The Ernster name also appears in historical documents from the Palatinate region of Germany, which borders France and Luxembourg. A notable example is Johann Ernster (1675-1732), a Lutheran pastor who served in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße during the early 18th century.

As the Ernster family spread across Germany and Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ernster, Ernstter, and Ernster. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

In the 19th century, a famous bearer of the Ernster name was the German painter and illustrator, Eduard Ernster (1821-1885). He was known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Germany.

Another notable figure was the German-American writer and journalist, Karl Ernster (1859-1932), who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became a prominent figure in the German-American community in New York City.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ernster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ernster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ernster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ernster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ernster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ernster, please contact us.

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