2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dahne
A surname originating from the German word for evergreen shrub or bush.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Dahne. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dahne 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Dahne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahne, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dahne
The surname DAHNE is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century in the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "danne," which means "from there" or "from that place," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who had relocated from a specific location.
One of the earliest known references to the DAHNE surname can be found in the records of the town of Zittau, located in the eastern part of Saxony, where a certain Hans Dahne was mentioned in a document dated 1587. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during the late 16th century in that region.
In the 17th century, the DAHNE surname appeared in various church records and tax registers across Saxony and Brandenburg, indicating a widespread presence of families bearing this name. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Dahne (1625-1697), a Lutheran minister who served in the town of Wittenberg, and Christoph Dahne (1662-1732), a renowned architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Dresden.
As the centuries progressed, the DAHNE surname continued to be found in various parts of Germany, with some families relocating to other regions or even other countries. One notable figure was Carl Friedrich Dahne (1773-1847), a German philologist and scholar who specialized in the study of ancient Greek literature.
In the 19th century, the DAHNE surname gained further recognition with individuals such as Gustav Dahne (1833-1892), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Reformation, and Hermann Dahne (1857-1939), a German botanist and explorer who conducted numerous expeditions to South America and contributed to the study of plant life in the Amazon region.
Throughout its history, the DAHNE surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from clergy and scholars to architects and explorers. While its origins may be rooted in a specific region of Germany, the name has since spread and become established in various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped human societies over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dahne
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahne, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dahne 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 Dahne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dahne
Dahne 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+25 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 13,539 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-26 bearers (-19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +25 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 13,539 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-19.5%) | Down 23,390 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 Dahne 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 | #128,249 | #151,639 | -18.2% |
| Count | 133 | 107 | -19.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -28.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dahne bearers went from 133 to 107 (-19.5% change). The surname moved down 23,390 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #151,639.
FAQ
Dahne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dahne?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Dahne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Dahne?
Dahne ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Dahne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Dahne.
Has Dahne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dahne went from 133 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 26 (-19.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Dahne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahne, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Dahne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dahne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Dahne (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 Dahne mean?
A surname originating from the German word for evergreen shrub or bush. 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 Dahne (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 have the surname Dahne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.