2000
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Ettinger
A German and Jewish occupational surname derived from the Middle High German etinære, meaning "caterer" or "innkeeper."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,453 Americans carry the last name Ettinger. That puts it at #13,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ettinger 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ettinger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,729
Census rank
#13,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,139 bearers of the surname Ettinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ettinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ettinger
The surname Ettinger is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It likely derived from the Old High German word "ettinc," meaning "small lord" or "local ruler." This name was likely given to someone who held a minor noble or administrative position.
The name first appeared in records from the 12th and 13th centuries in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. Early spellings of the name included Ettinger, Ettingher, and Ettingerus. One of the earliest documented references to the name is in the Codex Hirsaugiensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Johannes Ettinger (1300-1369) was a prominent scholar and theologian at the University of Vienna. He wrote several treatises on logic and metaphysics that were widely studied in his time.
During the 16th century, the Ettinger family was well-established in the city of Nuremberg, where they were involved in the metalworking and goldsmithing trades. Hans Ettinger (1492-1572) was a renowned goldsmith and engraver whose intricate works were sought after by nobility across Europe.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Ettinger family settled in the town of Schwabach, near Nuremberg. Here, they became prosperous landowners and businessmen. Christoph Ettinger (1631-1698) was a respected merchant and city councilor in Schwabach.
Another notable figure was Johann Georg Ettinger (1767-1845), a German composer and organist from Saxony. He wrote numerous sacred and secular works, including masses, cantatas, and organ pieces that were widely performed in his time.
The surname Ettinger can also be found in various place names across Germany, such as Ettingenweiler, a village in Baden-Württemberg, and Ettingen, a district in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ettinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ettinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ettinger 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 Ettinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,945
- Two or more races4.3% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ettinger
Ettinger 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
#13,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,354
+8 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 867 places
2020
#13,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,139
-215 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,175 | 2,346 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,042 | 2,354 | 0.80 | +8 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 867 places |
| 2020 | #13,576 | 2,139 | 0.72 | -215 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 534 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 Ettinger 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 | #13,042 | #13,576 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,354 | 2,139 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.72 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ettinger bearers went from 2,354 to 2,139 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 534 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,042 to #13,576.
FAQ
Ettinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ettinger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,453 living Americans carry the surname Ettinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,729 residents.
How common is Ettinger?
Ettinger ranks #13,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,139 people with the surname Ettinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ettinger.
Has Ettinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ettinger went from 2,354 recorded bearers to 2,139. That is a decrease of 215 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,042 to #13,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Ettinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ettinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ettinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,945 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ettinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ettinger (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 Ettinger mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname derived from the Middle High German etinære, meaning "caterer" or "innkeeper." 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 Ettinger (0.72 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 Ettinger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.