2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ulich
A surname derived from a personal name of Slavic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Ulich. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulich 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Ulich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulich
The surname Ulich is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It likely derived from the Old German word "ulch," meaning "wolf," suggesting that the name may have been initially bestowed as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with wolf-like characteristics or associations.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Ulich can be found in the town of Ulrichstein, located in the German state of Hesse, where it was documented in the local parish records from the early 1500s. The town's name itself is thought to be derived from the German personal name Ulrich, which shares a similar etymology to Ulich.
In the late 16th century, the name Ulich appeared in various German-language manuscripts and chronicles, indicating its presence among the population at that time. One notable example is the mention of a certain Hans Ulich in the Hessian Chronicles, a historical record of events in the region during that era.
The earliest known individual with the surname Ulich was Johann Ulich, born in 1612 in the town of Wetzlar, located in the modern-day German state of Hesse. Johann was a respected craftsman and guild member, known for his skilled woodworking and furniture-making.
Another prominent figure bearing the Ulich name was Friedrich Ulich, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1692 to 1768. He was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy, and his works were widely studied and debated in academic circles of the time.
In the 19th century, the Ulich surname gained further recognition with the birth of Gustav Ulich in 1826 in the city of Frankfurt am Main. Gustav Ulich was a renowned architect and urban planner, responsible for the design of several prominent buildings and public spaces in Frankfurt and other German cities.
Additionally, there was a notable military figure named Wilhelm Ulich, who served as a general in the Prussian army during the 19th century. He was born in 1810 and played a significant role in several military campaigns and battles of that era.
It's worth noting that variations of the name, such as Ulrich, Uhlrich, and Ullig, were also present in historical records, likely due to regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulich
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulich 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 Ulich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulich
Ulich 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+14 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,187 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-10 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 5,187 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 8,848 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 Ulich 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 | #144,141 | #152,989 | -6.1% |
| Count | 115 | 105 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulich bearers went from 115 to 105 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 8,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,989.
FAQ
Ulich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulich?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Ulich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Ulich?
Ulich ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Ulich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Ulich.
Has Ulich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulich went from 115 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Ulich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Ulich (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 Ulich mean?
A surname derived from a personal name of Slavic origin. 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 Ulich (0.04 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 Ulich?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Ulich on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.