2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Darfler
From German, meaning one from the village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Darfler. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Darfler 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Darfler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Darfler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Darfler
The surname Darfler is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic root words "dorf" meaning "village" and "ler" meaning "dweller" or "resident". This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a particular village or rural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Darfler can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. In this document, a person named "Theodericus Darfler" is mentioned, indicating the presence of the surname in that region during that time.
Another notable historical reference to the name Darfler comes from the Breviarium Grimaldi, a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Cologne. This document mentions a "Johannes Darfler" who was a merchant and landowner in the area.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Darfler was Hans Darfler, born in Nuremberg, Germany, in the late 15th century (around 1470). He was a renowned lute player and composer during the Renaissance era, known for his contributions to the development of instrumental music.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Darfler, born in Saxony in 1621. He was a prominent theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Leipzig and wrote several influential works on religion and ethics.
In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Darfler (1727-1801) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and inventor in the city of Dresden. His innovative clock designs and mechanisms were highly sought after by nobility and wealthy patrons.
Moving into the 19th century, Franz Darfler (1818-1892) was a German painter and illustrator known for his romantic landscapes and depictions of rural life. His works were widely exhibited and celebrated during his lifetime.
Finally, one of the more recent notable individuals with the surname Darfler was Claudius Darfler (1890-1972), a German architect and urban planner who designed several significant buildings and public spaces in Berlin and other German cities in the early 20th century.
While the surname Darfler may have originated from a specific village or region in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants of these early bearers of the name carrying on the legacy and contributing to various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darfler
Among Census respondents with the surname Darfler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Darfler 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 Darfler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Darfler
Darfler 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+19 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,315 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,628 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 9,315 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,628 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 Darfler 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 | #135,593 | #147,221 | -8.6% |
| Count | 124 | 113 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Darfler bearers went from 124 to 113 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,628 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #147,221.
FAQ
Darfler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Darfler?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Darfler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Darfler?
Darfler ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Darfler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Darfler.
Has Darfler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Darfler went from 124 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Darfler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Darfler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Darfler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Darfler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Darfler (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 Darfler mean?
From German, meaning one from the village. 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 Darfler (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 Darfler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.