Find out how popular the last name Ezekiel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ezekiel.

Ezekiel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ezekiel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ezekiel in America

Ezekiel is the 26549th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ezekiel surname appeared 918 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ezekiel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ezekiel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ezekiel

The surname "EZEKIEL" is a biblical name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew name "Yeḥezqel" meaning "God strengthens" or "God will strengthen". It is believed to have originated from the name of the biblical prophet Ezekiel, who lived in the 6th century BCE and is renowned for his prophetic visions and oracles recorded in the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.

During the Middle Ages, the practice of adopting surnames became prevalent across Europe, and biblical names, particularly those from the Old Testament, were commonly adopted as surnames by Jewish communities. The name Ezekiel likely transitioned from a personal name to a hereditary surname among Jewish families, particularly those residing in regions with significant Jewish populations, such as the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and various parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ezekiel can be found in the 13th century, when a Jewish scholar named Abraham ben Ezekiel, also known as Abraham Aben Ezra, lived in Spain and wrote extensively on biblical exegesis and astronomy. Another notable bearer of the surname was Judah ben Ezekiel, a 14th-century Spanish physician and philosopher who wrote on various subjects, including logic and metaphysics.

In England, the surname Ezekiel appears in historical records as early as the 16th century, possibly introduced by Jewish immigrants or converts from the European continent. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Isaac Ezekiel, a Jewish merchant who lived in London in the late 16th century and was involved in international trade.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Ezekiel, including:

1. Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844-1917), an American sculptor born in Virginia, known for his works depicting historical and biblical figures.
2. Sir Victor Alexander Ezekiel Ezekiel Salomon (1892-1955), a British industrialist and philanthropist of Indian Jewish descent, who played a significant role in the development of India's textile industry.
3. Mordecai Ezekiel (1899-1974), an American agricultural economist and statistician who made significant contributions to the development of modern statistical methods in agriculture.
4. Ralph Ezekiel Lapp (1917-2004), an American physicist and author who wrote extensively on nuclear energy and nuclear weapons proliferation.
5. Elias Ezekiel Ezekiel (1844-1909), an English-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia in the late 19th century.

While the surname Ezekiel has Hebrew origins, it has been adopted by individuals from various ethnic and religious backgrounds over the centuries, reflecting the widespread influence of biblical names and the cultural diffusion facilitated by migration and intermingling of populations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ezekiel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ezekiel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ezekiel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ezekiel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ezekiel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ezekiel, please contact us.

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