2000
#3,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.86
Uncommon Last name
Danner
Deriving from German, an occupational surname referring to someone who tanned hides or a dweller near a tannery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,637 Americans carry the last name Danner. That puts it at #3,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,454 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Danner 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
12K
1 in 29,454
Census rank
#3,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,148 bearers of the surname Danner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Danner, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Danner
The surname Danner is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a maker or seller of tinder, derived from the Old High German word "tanna" or "tanne," meaning pine tree or fir.
In the early days, the name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt, where a certain Konrad Danner is mentioned in a document from 1387.
As the name spread across other parts of Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Tanner, Tannert, and Dannert. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
The Danner name also made its way into historical records and manuscripts. For instance, a Hans Danner is listed among the citizens of Nuremberg in the early 15th century. Additionally, a Bartholmeus Danner is mentioned in the Liber Obligationum, a legal record from the city of Frankfurt, in the year 1456.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Danner. One such figure was Johann Danner (1472-1548), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another was Georg Danner (1758-1825), a Bavarian painter and engraver known for his religious works.
In the realm of literature, Friedrich Danner (1880-1950) was a German poet and novelist who gained recognition for his works exploring rural life and folklore. Moving into more recent times, Karl Danner (1904-1977) was an Austrian actor and film director renowned for his contributions to the golden age of German cinema.
The Danner name has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Germany. For example, the village of Dannerwitz in Saxony-Anhalt is believed to have derived its name from the surname, indicating a possible connection to early settlers or landowners in the area.
While the surname Danner has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. Nonetheless, its rich history and linguistic roots remain firmly grounded in the Germanic regions of central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Danner
Among Census respondents with the surname Danner, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Danner 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 Danner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 8,292
- Black or African American10.3% · 1,041
- Two or more races4.0% · 404
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 298
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Danner
Danner 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
#3,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,786
+364 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 167 places
2020
#3,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,148
-638 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 3.40
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,161 | 10,422 | 3.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,328 | 10,786 | 3.66 | +364 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 167 places |
| 2020 | #3,440 | 10,148 | 3.40 | -638 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 112 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 Danner 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 | #3,328 | #3,440 | -3.4% |
| Count | 10,786 | 10,148 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.66 | 3.40 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Danner bearers went from 10,786 to 10,148 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,328 to #3,440.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Danner
FAQ
Danner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Danner?
Name Census estimates that about 11,637 living Americans carry the surname Danner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,454 residents.
How common is Danner?
Danner ranks #3,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,148 people with the surname Danner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,637), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Danner.
Has Danner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Danner went from 10,786 recorded bearers to 10,148. That is a decrease of 638 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,328 to #3,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Danner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Danner, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Danner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (8,292 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Danner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Danner (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 Danner mean?
Deriving from German, an occupational surname referring to someone who tanned hides or a dweller near a tannery. 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 Danner (3.40 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 Americans have the surname Danner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.