Explore the Family Name Emmer

The meaning of Emmer

1. German (Bavaria): from Middle High German emmer ‘grain’, a topographic name for someone who lived by land where grain was grown, a status name for someone who owned such land, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or dealt in grain. 2. German: topographic name for someone living on a flat piece of land, from Middle High German eben ‘even, smooth, straight’ + the suffix -er for an inhabitant. 3. Dutch: from the personal name Emmer(t), from the ancient Germanic name Emhard (see Emmert 2) or perhaps Egmar, composed of the elements eg ‘sharp point (of a sword)’ + mar ‘famous, shining’. 4. Dutch: from emmer ‘bucket’, applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with this word, such as Reijmerich in de leeren Emmer (‘Reimer in the Leather Bucket’) in Amsterdam 1585.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Emmer in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Emmer has seen an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 20,763rd and by 2010, it moved up to 20,172nd. This indicates a 2.85% growth in rank. There was also a rise in the number of people having this surname, with a count of 1,183 in 2000 that went up to 1,322 in 2010, marking an 11.75% increase. The proportion of individuals bearing the Emmer surname per 100,000 also grew slightly from 0.44 in 2000 to 0.45 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#20,763#20,1722.85%
Count1,1831,32211.75%
Proportion per 100k0.440.452.27%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Emmer

In terms of ethnic identity, the 2000 and 2010 Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the vast majority of individuals with the Emmer surname identify as White, making up 95.35% of the group in 2000, though there was a slight drop to 93.72% by 2010. It's interesting to note that the percentage of people who identified as Hispanic saw considerable growth from 1.52% to 2.95%. Those identifying as two or more races also increased from 1.69% to 2.19%. Meanwhile, Black representation decreased to zero by 2010 from 0.93% in 2000. Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities had little to no presence among people with the Emmer surname during this period.

20002010Change
White95.35%93.72%-1.71%
Hispanic1.52%2.95%94.08%
Two or More Races1.69%2.19%29.59%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.45%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Black0.93%0%0%