2000
#39,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Eichhorst
A German surname derived from the words "Eiche" (oak) and "Horst" (nest), possibly referring to someone living near an oak tree or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 585 Americans carry the last name Eichhorst. That puts it at #45,217 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 585,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eichhorst 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
585
1 in 585,905
Census rank
#45,217
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
510
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 510 bearers of the surname Eichhorst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45217th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichhorst, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eichhorst
The surname Eichhorst has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "eiche," meaning oak tree, and "horst," which refers to a nest or rookery. This suggests that the name may have originally been used to describe someone who lived near an oak tree or forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eichhorst can be found in the church records of the town of Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, where a certain Johann Eichhorst was listed as a resident in the year 1562. Additionally, an individual named Hans Eichhorst was mentioned in a document from the city of Lübeck in 1587.
The name Eichhorst has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany. For example, there is a village called Eichhorst located in the state of Brandenburg, which may have been the origin of the surname for some families. Another place called Eichhorst can be found in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, near the town of Magdeburg.
Notable individuals with the surname Eichhorst throughout history include Johann Gottfried Eichhorn (1752-1827), a German theologian and biblical scholar who made significant contributions to the field of biblical criticism. Another prominent figure was Carl Friedrich Eichhorn (1781-1854), a Prussian politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of Prussia.
In the field of literature, the name Eichhorst is associated with the German writer and poet Johann Gottfried Eichhorn (1683-1767), who is known for his works such as "Churfürstliche Sächsische Gedichte" (Electoral Saxon Poems) and "Geistliche Lieder" (Spiritual Songs).
During the 19th century, a notable individual named Karl Friedrich Eichhorn (1809-1892) was a German botanist and pharmacist who made important contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and medicinal plants.
Finally, in more recent times, the name Eichhorst gained some recognition through the character of Thomas Eichhorst, a villainous vampire played by actor Richard Sammel in the television series "The Strain," which aired from 2014 to 2017.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eichhorst
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichhorst, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Eichhorst 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 Eichhorst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 472
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 18
- Two or more races2.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eichhorst
Eichhorst 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
#40,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 533
+6 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 1,605 places
2020
#45,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 510
-23 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 4,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,304 | 527 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,909 | 533 | 0.18 | +6 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 1,605 places |
| 2020 | #45,217 | 510 | 0.17 | -23 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 4,308 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 Eichhorst 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 | #40,909 | #45,217 | -10.5% |
| Count | 533 | 510 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eichhorst bearers went from 533 to 510 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 4,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,909 to #45,217.
FAQ
Eichhorst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eichhorst?
Name Census estimates that about 585 living Americans carry the surname Eichhorst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 585,905 residents.
How common is Eichhorst?
Eichhorst ranks #45,217 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 510 people with the surname Eichhorst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Eichhorst.
Has Eichhorst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eichhorst went from 533 recorded bearers to 510. That is a decrease of 23 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,909 to #45,217.
What does the Census say about the background of Eichhorst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eichhorst, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Eichhorst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (472 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eichhorst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Eichhorst (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 Eichhorst mean?
A German surname derived from the words "Eiche" (oak) and "Horst" (nest), possibly referring to someone living near an oak tree or grove. 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 Eichhorst (0.17 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 are called Eichhorst?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Eichhorst at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.