2000
#43,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Essenmacher
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of food or meals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 607 Americans carry the last name Essenmacher. That puts it at #43,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 564,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Essenmacher 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
607
1 in 564,669
Census rank
#43,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
529
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 529 bearers of the surname Essenmacher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Essenmacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Essenmacher
The surname Essenmacher originated in Germany, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is a combination of two Middle High German words: "essen," meaning "to eat," and "macher," meaning "maker." This suggests the name was likely an occupational surname for someone who made or prepared food, such as a baker, brewer, or chef.
The name is believed to have first appeared in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and the surrounding areas. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Essenmacher, Essenmacher, and Essenmacher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Nuremberg parish records from the late 15th century, where an individual named Hans Essenmacher is mentioned.
In the 16th century, the Essenmacher family was documented in the city of Augsburg, with a notable member being Johann Essenmacher, a wealthy merchant and city councilor who lived from 1512 to 1578.
Another notable figure with this surname was Friedrich Essenmacher, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1670 to 1732. He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and wrote several influential works on ethics and metaphysics.
During the 18th century, the Essenmacher family spread to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One notable individual from this time was Johann Georg Essenmacher, a successful businessman and landowner who lived in the town of Memmingen from 1726 to 1804.
In the 19th century, the Essenmacher name appeared in various German-speaking regions, including the Rhineland, Saxony, and the former Prussian territories. One notable individual from this period was Karl Essenmacher, a German writer and journalist who lived from 1834 to 1901.
As the Essenmacher family migrated to different parts of the world, the name underwent various spelling changes and adaptations, but its origins can be traced back to the occupation-based surname in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Essenmacher
Among Census respondents with the surname Essenmacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Essenmacher 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 Essenmacher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 501
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 15
- Two or more races1.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Essenmacher
Essenmacher 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
#41,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 523
+58 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 2,129 places
2020
#43,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 529
+6 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 2,307 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,708 | 465 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,579 | 523 | 0.18 | +58 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 2,129 places |
| 2020 | #43,886 | 529 | 0.18 | +6 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 2,307 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 Essenmacher 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 | #41,579 | #43,886 | -5.5% |
| Count | 523 | 529 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.18 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Essenmacher bearers went from 523 to 529 (+1.1% change). The surname moved down 2,307 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,579 to #43,886.
FAQ
Essenmacher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Essenmacher?
Name Census estimates that about 607 living Americans carry the surname Essenmacher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 564,669 residents.
How common is Essenmacher?
Essenmacher ranks #43,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 529 people with the surname Essenmacher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Essenmacher.
Has Essenmacher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Essenmacher went from 523 recorded bearers to 529. That is an increase of 6 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #41,579 to #43,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Essenmacher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Essenmacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Essenmacher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (501 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Essenmacher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Essenmacher (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 Essenmacher mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of food or meals. 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 Essenmacher (0.18 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 Essenmacher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.