Ehrlich
A German surname meaning “honest” or “upright,” formed from the old word for honor and integrity.
The #5,747 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,193 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ehrlich is a German descriptive surname built on ehr- / êre-, the old German word family for “honor,” plus the adjective-forming suffix -lich, meaning “like” or “having the quality of.” In plain terms, it originally meant “honourable” or “upright.” The surname was likely first applied as a nickname for a respected or trustworthy person.
History
The name is established in German-speaking areas and has been borne by Jewish and non-Jewish families alike. It is also familiar outside Germany through migration in the 19th and 20th centuries. The spelling has remained fairly stable, which is typical for German adjectival surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same honor-root appears in other German surnames and words, such as Ehrman and Ehrmann, which share the same broad sense of “honourable person.”
From the historical record
“[O.H.Ger. edili, noble + stein, stone] EHRLICH (Ger.) Honourable [f. O.H.Ger. Sra, honour -f the adj. suff. -licK] EHRMANN (Ger.) Honourable Man; Worthy [f.O.H. Ger.^-a, honour -|-»!aK(«] ELKAN (Heb.) an apocopated form of El- kanah (Vulgate £/<7<infl) = Possession of God, or Whom God hath Redeemed”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Ehrlich
- Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.