2000
#23,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Ulbrich
A Germanic surname derived from a place name or meaning "noble wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,224 Americans carry the last name Ulbrich. That puts it at #24,443 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 280,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulbrich 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
1.2K
1 in 280,028
Census rank
#24,443
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,067 bearers of the surname Ulbrich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24443rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulbrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulbrich
The surname Ulbrich originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German personal name "Ulrich" or "Uodalrich," which means "heir to the ancestral heritage" or "prosperous ruler." The name is also associated with areas in Saxony and Thuringia.
One of the earliest records of the Ulbrich surname dates back to 1290, when a certain Henricus Ulricus was mentioned in the records of Hesse, Germany. Another early documented instance is from 1349, with a Johannes Ulrich appearing in the town of Mühlhausen.
The surname Ulbrich has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Ulrich, Ulrichs, Uhlrich, and Uhlrich. Some of these variations are linked to specific regions, such as Ulrichs being more prevalent in northern Germany and Uhlrich in southern areas.
In the 15th century, the Ulbrich surname was associated with the noble von Ulrich family, who owned estates in Saxony and Thuringia. A notable member of this family was Hans von Ulrich (1472-1538), a renowned military leader and statesman who served under the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
Another prominent figure with the Ulbrich surname was Johann Caspar Ulbrich (1670-1741), a German architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings, including the Schloss Schwetzingen in Baden-Württemberg.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Ulbrich (1738-1810) was a German composer and organist who served at the court of Weimar. His works included operas, cantatas, and instrumental pieces.
The 19th century saw the rise of Carl Christian Ulbrich (1807-1876), a German botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and the cultivation of ornamental plants.
One of the most famous individuals with the Ulbrich surname was Walther Ulbrich (1888-1960), a German actor and film director who appeared in over 100 films during the silent and early sound eras of cinema.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulbrich
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulbrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulbrich 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 Ulbrich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 964
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 69
- Two or more races2.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulbrich
Ulbrich 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
#23,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,079
+64 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#24,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,067
-12 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,372 | 1,015 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,532 | 1,079 | 0.37 | +64 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #24,443 | 1,067 | 0.36 | -12 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 911 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 Ulbrich 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 | #23,532 | #24,443 | -3.9% |
| Count | 1,079 | 1,067 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.36 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulbrich bearers went from 1,079 to 1,067 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 911 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,532 to #24,443.
FAQ
Ulbrich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulbrich?
Name Census estimates that about 1,224 living Americans carry the surname Ulbrich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 280,028 residents.
How common is Ulbrich?
Ulbrich ranks #24,443 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,067 people with the surname Ulbrich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Ulbrich.
Has Ulbrich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulbrich went from 1,079 recorded bearers to 1,067. That is a decrease of 12 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,532 to #24,443.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulbrich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulbrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ulbrich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (964 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulbrich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ulbrich (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 Ulbrich mean?
A Germanic surname derived from a place name or meaning "noble wolf." 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 Ulbrich (0.36 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 common is the surname Ulbrich?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Ulbrich at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.