2000
#10,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,762
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Deardorff
A locational surname derived from the German place name Dürrsdorf, meaning "village of Dürr."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,887 Americans carry the last name Deardorff. That puts it at #11,893 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,723 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deardorff 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
2.9K
1 in 118,723
Census rank
#11,893
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,518 bearers of the surname Deardorff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11893rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deardorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deardorff
The surname DEARDORFF originated in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "der" meaning "the" and "dorf" meaning "village". The name likely referred to someone who lived in a particular village or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DEARDORFF surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of medieval documents from the Duchy of Anhalt, dated around 1200. This document mentions a person named "Theodoricus de Dordorp", which is thought to be an early spelling variation of the surname.
In the 14th century, the DEARDORFF name appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Strassburg (Charter Book of the City of Strasbourg) from 1349, which mentions a "Henricus Dordorf".
The DEARDORFF surname was also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann DEARDORFF (1521-1590), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Wilhelm DEARDORFF (1678-1745), a German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city of Nuremberg.
In the 18th century, the DEARDORFF family spread to other parts of Europe and North America. One notable member was Johann Georg DEARDORFF (1723-1789), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful farmer and landowner.
During the 19th century, the DEARDORFF surname gained recognition through individuals like Carl DEARDORFF (1822-1897), a German-American engineer and inventor who developed several innovations in the field of machine tools.
Another significant figure was Anna DEARDORFF (1856-1932), an American educator and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in establishing the National Education Association.
The DEARDORFF surname has a rich history rooted in German heritage, with various spellings and associations across different regions and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the 12th century, and it has been carried by notable individuals in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deardorff
Among Census respondents with the surname Deardorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Deardorff 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 Deardorff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,343
- Two or more races3.2% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deardorff
Deardorff 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
#11,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,690
-72 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 1,015 places
2020
#11,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,518
-172 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,638 | 2,762 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,653 | 2,690 | 0.91 | -72 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,015 places |
| 2020 | #11,893 | 2,518 | 0.84 | -172 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 240 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 Deardorff 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 | #11,653 | #11,893 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,690 | 2,518 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.84 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deardorff bearers went from 2,690 to 2,518 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 240 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,653 to #11,893.
FAQ
Deardorff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deardorff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,887 living Americans carry the surname Deardorff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,723 residents.
How common is Deardorff?
Deardorff ranks #11,893 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,518 people with the surname Deardorff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,887), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Deardorff.
Has Deardorff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deardorff went from 2,690 recorded bearers to 2,518. That is a decrease of 172 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,653 to #11,893.
What does the Census say about the background of Deardorff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deardorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Deardorff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,343 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deardorff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Deardorff (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 Deardorff mean?
A locational surname derived from the German place name Dürrsdorf, meaning "village of Dürr." 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 Deardorff (0.84 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 are called Deardorff?
See how common the surname Deardorff is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.