Show ContentsEbner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Ebner surname comes from the Middle High German word "ebene," which denotes a "plateau," as such it was thought to have been taken on as a surname by someone who lived on a piece of flat ground. The surname also arose from any of several places names named Eben.

Another source notes the name literally means "dweller in the lowlands, one whop came from Eben (level land) and is the name of several places in Germany. 1

Early Origins of the Ebner family

The surname Ebner was first found in the Imperial City of Nuremberg where one of the first records of the name was Sister Christina Ebner, O.P., (1277-1356), a German Dominican nun, writer and mystic. Less than a year after her admission to the Dominican Second Order, Christina fell gravely ill and began experiencing frequent religious visions, which her confessor, Friar Conrad of Füssen, O.P., encouraged her to write down. Her first book, Leben und Offenbarungen (Life and Revelations) was written in 1317 followed by other works including Book of Sisters (Schwesternbuch) in 1340 and Revelations (Offenbarungen) in 1352. Her niece, The Blessed Margareta Ebner, O.P., (1291-1351) was a German nun and visionary who was beatified by the Catholic Church.

Early History of the Ebner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ebner research. The years 1234, 1291, 1311, 1351, 1612, 1665, 1673, 1752, 1773, 1825 and 1979 are included under the topic Early Ebner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ebner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ebner, Eben, Ebener, Ebeler and others.

Early Notables of the Ebner family

Prominent among members of the name Ebner in this period include

  • Margareta Ebner (1291-1351), a German Dominican nun, born in Donauwörth, Duchy of Swabia. From 1311, she became gravely ill and experienced a series of spiritual visions in which Jesus Christ gave her...
  • Wolfgang Ebner (1612-1665), was a German baroque composer and court organist during the reign of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, and then of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
  • Hieronymus Wilhelm Ebner von Eschen­bach (1673-1752), born in Nuremberg, rose to become a German diplomat, historian, scholar, and founder of the extensive private library Bibliotheca Ebneriana. The E...

Ebner Ranking

In the United States, the name Ebner is the 9,138th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


Ebner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ebner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Ebner, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 3
  • John Ebner, aged 28, who landed in Missouri in 1840 3
  • Joseph Ebner, who arrived in Maryland in 1847 3
  • Friedrich Ebner, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 3
  • Barbara Ebner, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1854 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ebner (post 1700) +

  • Trestan Ebner (b. 1999), American football running back
  • Nathan Ebner (b. 1988), American football safety and special teamer
  • Franklin E. Ebner (1904-1979), American lawyer and businessman
  • Mark Ebner (b. 1959), American investigative journalist
  • Merrill Robert Ebner (1902-1992), American politician, Mayor of Pullman, Washington, 1944-48 4
  • George F. Ebner, American politician, Representative from Ohio 12th District, 1900 4
  • Fred Ebner, American Republican politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 51st District, 1998 4
  • Mrs. Bayly Ebner, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 1972 4
  • Margareta Ebner (1291-1351), German professed religious from the Dominican Nuns, she was born in Donauworth
  • Harald Ebner (b. 1964), German politician
  • ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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