2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Erthal
A locational surname originating from a place called Erthal in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Erthal. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Erthal 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Erthal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Erthal, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Erthal
The surname Erthal originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German words "er" meaning "honor" and "thal" meaning "valley," suggesting the name originally referred to someone who lived in an honorable or respected valley.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Erthal can be found in the medieval Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany. In this codex, a nobleman named Dietrich von Erthal is mentioned in a document dated 1264.
The Erthal name has also been traced back to several small towns and villages in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, such as Erthalden and Ertha. These place names likely originated from the same root words as the surname itself.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Friedrich von Erthal (1415-1492) served as the Archbishop of Mainz and the Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. His influence and position contributed to the spread and recognition of the Erthal name throughout Germany.
Another notable individual with the Erthal surname was Johann Philipp von Erthal (1719-1824), who was the last Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and the Grand Duke of Franconia. He lived an exceptionally long life, spanning over a century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several members of the Erthal family held positions of power and influence in various German principalities and states. Notable examples include Johann Friedrich von Erthal (1555-1621), who served as the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, and Franz Ludwig von Erthal (1730-1795), who was the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and Würzburg.
Throughout history, the Erthal name has maintained a strong presence in Germany, particularly in the regions where it originated. While its prevalence may have fluctuated over time, the name continues to hold significance as a part of German heritage and ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erthal
Among Census respondents with the surname Erthal, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Erthal 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 Erthal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Erthal
Erthal 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,470 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 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 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,470 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Erthal 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Erthal bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Erthal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Erthal?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Erthal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Erthal?
Erthal ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Erthal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Erthal.
Has Erthal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Erthal went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Erthal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Erthal, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Erthal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Erthal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (4.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Erthal (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 Erthal mean?
A locational surname originating from a place called Erthal in Germany. 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 Erthal (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 Americans have the surname Erthal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.