2000
#43,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 462
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Eyring
A German surname derived from the word "Eier" meaning "eggs".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 563 Americans carry the last name Eyring. That puts it at #46,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 608,800 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eyring 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
563
1 in 608,800
Census rank
#46,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
491
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 491 bearers of the surname Eyring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eyring, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eyring
The surname EYRING has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "Eyr," which means "egg," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who dealt with eggs or worked on a farm.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 15th century, with variations in spelling such as "Eyringer" and "Eyringe." These variations were common in those times due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping.
One of the earliest documented references to the name EYRING can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, in the year 1472, where a certain Hans Eyring was mentioned as a respected citizen and landowner.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it became associated with various place names that incorporated the word "Eyr" or similar variations. For instance, the village of Eyringen in the state of Baden-Württemberg may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in that area.
Notable individuals with the surname EYRING include:
1. Henry Eyring (1901-1981), an American theoretical chemist known for his contributions to chemical kinetics and reaction rate theory. He was born in Colonia Juárez, Mexico.
2. Walter Eyring (1904-1988), an American physicist and brother of Henry Eyring. He made significant contributions to the field of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics.
3. Carl Eyring (1933-2018), an American physicist and son of Henry Eyring. He worked on various aspects of solid-state physics and material science.
4. Lois Eyring (1941-2015), an American mathematician and daughter of Henry Eyring. She was a professor at the University of Utah and known for her work in algebraic geometry.
5. Hans Eyring (1492-1564), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a role in the Reformation movement in the 16th century.
While the surname EYRING may have originated as an occupational name, over time it has become a widespread family name carried by individuals across various professions and disciplines, particularly in the fields of science and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eyring
Among Census respondents with the surname Eyring, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Eyring 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 Eyring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 463
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 15
- Two or more races1.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eyring
Eyring 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
#43,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 493
+31 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 223 places
2020
#46,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 491
-2 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 2,980 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,955 | 462 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,732 | 493 | 0.17 | +31 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 223 places |
| 2020 | #46,712 | 491 | 0.16 | -2 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 2,980 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 Eyring 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 | #43,732 | #46,712 | -6.8% |
| Count | 493 | 491 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eyring bearers went from 493 to 491 (-0.4% change). The surname moved down 2,980 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,732 to #46,712.
FAQ
Eyring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eyring?
Name Census estimates that about 563 living Americans carry the surname Eyring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 608,800 residents.
How common is Eyring?
Eyring ranks #46,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 491 people with the surname Eyring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (563), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Eyring.
Has Eyring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eyring went from 493 recorded bearers to 491. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,732 to #46,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Eyring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eyring, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Eyring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eyring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Eyring (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 Eyring mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Eier" meaning "eggs". 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 Eyring (0.16 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 Eyring?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.