2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Esbeck
A surname potentially derived from a placename, likely of German or Low German origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Esbeck. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esbeck 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Esbeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esbeck
The surname Esbeck is of German origin and can be traced back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the city of Hamburg and the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Esbeck is derived from the Old German word "esch," which means ash tree, and the suffix "-beck," meaning brook or stream. This suggests that the name initially referred to a stream or brook near an ash tree or an area with an abundance of ash trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Esbeck can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears with various spellings, such as "Esebekke," "Esebeke," and "Esbeke."
During the 16th century, the name Esbeck gained prominence in the region of Dithmarschen, a historic region in Schleswig-Holstein. Notable individuals with this surname include Johann Esbeck (1537-1611), a Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of the Lutheran Church in Dithmarschen.
Another notable figure was Peter Esbeck (1723-1788), a merchant and ship owner from the town of Meldorf in Dithmarschen. He was involved in the thriving trade between northern Germany and other European ports during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Esbeck family had a strong presence in the city of Hamburg. One of the most prominent members was Johann Hinrich Esbeck (1814-1891), a successful merchant and shipowner who contributed significantly to the city's maritime industry.
The name Esbeck has also been associated with various place names in northern Germany, such as the village of Esbeck in the district of Schaumburg, Lower Saxony, and the Esbeck River, a tributary of the Oste River in the same region.
Other notable individuals with the surname Esbeck include Friedrich Wilhelm Esbeck (1863-1941), a German architect renowned for his work in Hamburg and the surrounding areas, and Hans-Joachim Esbeck (1931-2017), a German lawyer and legal scholar known for his expertise in constitutional law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esbeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Esbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Esbeck 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 Esbeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esbeck
Esbeck 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,514 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 19,514 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 361 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 Esbeck 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 | #152,628 | #152,989 | -0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 105 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esbeck bearers went from 107 to 105 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,989.
FAQ
Esbeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esbeck?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Esbeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Esbeck?
Esbeck ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Esbeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Esbeck.
Has Esbeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esbeck went from 107 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Esbeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Esbeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esbeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Esbeck (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 Esbeck mean?
A surname potentially derived from a placename, likely of German or Low German origin. 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 Esbeck (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 Esbeck?
See how many people have the last name Esbeck on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.