2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ephron
Of Hebrew origin, a topographic surname referring to locations with fertile soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Ephron. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ephron 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Ephron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ephron, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.4%. The next largest groups are White (42.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ephron
The surname Ephron is of Hebrew origin and can be traced back to the biblical era. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "aphar," meaning "dust" or "ashes." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, potentially referring to someone who worked with ash or lived in a dusty area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ephron appears in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. In Genesis 23, Abraham purchases a field and cave from a Hittite named Ephron to use as a burial ground for his wife Sarah. This account provides historical evidence of the name's existence during ancient times.
In the Middle Ages, the name Ephron was found in various records and manuscripts across Europe, particularly in areas with Jewish communities. One notable example is Ephron ben Yaakov, a 12th-century Jewish philosopher and mathematician from Spain.
During the Renaissance period, the surname Ephron gained recognition through individuals like Jehiel Ephron, a 16th-century Italian rabbi and scholar born in Mantua. His works on Jewish law and commentary on the Talmud were highly influential.
In the 17th century, the name Ephron appeared in records from the Netherlands, where a family of that name resided in Amsterdam. One member, Isaac Ephron, was a prominent merchant and philanthropist born in 1618.
Moving into the 18th century, the Ephron surname gained prominence in England. Thomas Ephron, born in 1720, was a noted engraver and printmaker whose works were widely appreciated during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the name Ephron was associated with literary figures, such as Mikhail Ephron, a Russian poet and translator born in 1852. His works helped popularize Western literature in Russia.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ephron include Phoebe Ephron, an American playwright and screenwriter born in 1914, and her daughters, the acclaimed writers Nora Ephron (1941-2012) and Delia Ephron (born 1944).
These examples illustrate the long and diverse history of the surname Ephron, originating from its Hebrew roots and spanning various regions and time periods, with individuals making significant contributions in fields such as religion, philosophy, art, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ephron
Among Census respondents with the surname Ephron, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.4%. The next largest groups are White (42.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ephron 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 Ephron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.4% · 63
- White42.4% · 50
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ephron
Ephron 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+14 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,949 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-16 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 2,949 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 16,017 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 Ephron 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 | #127,494 | #143,511 | -12.6% |
| Count | 134 | 118 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ephron bearers went from 134 to 118 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 16,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #143,511.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ephron
FAQ
Ephron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ephron?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Ephron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Ephron?
Ephron ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Ephron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Ephron.
Has Ephron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ephron went from 134 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Ephron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ephron, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.4%. The next largest groups are White (42.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ephron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.4% (63 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ephron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.4%), White (42.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Ephron (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 Ephron mean?
Of Hebrew origin, a topographic surname referring to locations with fertile soil. 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 Ephron (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 many people share the surname Ephron?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.