2000
#7,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,062
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Dann
A nickname derived from the Hebrew name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,578 Americans carry the last name Dann. That puts it at #9,882 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,795 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dann 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,795
Census rank
#9,882
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,120 bearers of the surname Dann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9882nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dann, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dann
The surname Dann has its origins in Germany, where it emerged during the medieval period around the 13th century. Initially, the name was a variant spelling of the Germanic personal name "Danne" or "Dan," which is derived from the Old High German word "dannen," meaning "from there" or "from that place."
This surname first appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was likely adopted as a descriptive name for someone who had relocated from a particular place or region, distinguishing them from others in their new community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Danno de Rochlitz" is mentioned in a charter dated 1285.
In the 14th century, there are records of a family bearing the name Dann residing in the city of Nuremberg, a prominent center of trade and commerce in the Holy Roman Empire. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a hereditary surname by that time.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Dann. One such person was Hans Dann (1561-1629), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate landscapes and architectural drawings.
Another prominent figure was Johann Dann (1696-1773), a German composer and organist who served at the court of King Frederick the Great of Prussia. His compositions, particularly for the organ and harpsichord, were highly regarded in his time.
In the 19th century, Johann Peter Dann (1823-1898) was a prominent German-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the brewing industry in St. Louis, Missouri. He founded the Dann Brewery and was actively involved in various charitable endeavors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dann surname in England can be traced back to the 16th century, when a family bearing this name settled in the county of Suffolk. Notably, Thomas Dann (1532-1592) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Throughout its history, the surname Dann has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as the village of Dann in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and the town of Dann in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dann
Among Census respondents with the surname Dann, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dann 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 Dann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 2,670
- Black or African American5.2% · 163
- Two or more races3.4% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dann
Dann 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
#8,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,735
-327 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 1,225 places
2020
#9,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,120
-615 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 1,107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,550 | 4,062 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,775 | 3,735 | 1.27 | -327 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 1,225 places |
| 2020 | #9,882 | 3,120 | 1.04 | -615 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 1,107 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 Dann 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 | #8,775 | #9,882 | -12.6% |
| Count | 3,735 | 3,120 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.04 | -17.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dann bearers went from 3,735 to 3,120 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 1,107 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,775 to #9,882.
FAQ
Dann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dann?
Name Census estimates that about 3,578 living Americans carry the surname Dann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,795 residents.
How common is Dann?
Dann ranks #9,882 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,120 people with the surname Dann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,578), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dann.
Has Dann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dann went from 3,735 recorded bearers to 3,120. That is a decrease of 615 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,775 to #9,882.
What does the Census say about the background of Dann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dann, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (2,670 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dann (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 Dann mean?
A nickname derived from the Hebrew name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge." 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 Dann (1.04 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 last name Dann?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Dann at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.