2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Defrehn
A locational surname originating from the German village of Defren.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Defrehn. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Defrehn 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Defrehn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Defrehn
The surname DEFREHN is believed to have originated in Germany during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from a combination of the German words "de" meaning "the" and "frehn" which was a term used to describe a free or independent person. This suggests the name may have been given to someone who was not subject to serfdom or other forms of servitude common during that time period.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German parish records and municipal archives from cities like Hamburg, Bremen, and Hanover. One of the first documented examples is Johannes Defrehn, born around 1575 in the town of Stade near the Elbe River in what is now Lower Saxony.
By the 17th century, the name had spread to other parts of northern Germany and the Low Countries. In 1632, a merchant named Matthias Defrehn is listed in records from the city of Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic League of trading cities. Around this same time, variations like Defrehen and Defrehen begin appearing.
The 18th century saw some DEFREHN families migrate to the Americas, with a few settling in Pennsylvania among other German immigrant communities. Notable early American bearers include Johann Defrehn (1705-1781) who arrived in Philadelphia in 1730 from the Palatinate region.
Other points of interest include the Dutch officer Pieter Defrehn (1768-1824) who served under Napoleon, and the Prussian industrialist Karl Defrehn (1812-1888) who helped establish steelworks and factories in the Ruhr Valley. The name Defrehn Street in Berlin's Mitte district is also believed to have been named after this family.
Throughout its long history, the surname DEFREHN has maintained a strong connection to its German linguistic roots, despite occasional spelling variations. While never extremely widespread, it continues to be borne by people of Germanic ancestry to this day, carrying forth the legacy of an independent-minded heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Defrehn
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Defrehn 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 Defrehn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Defrehn
Defrehn 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,849 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,849 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 7,338 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 Defrehn 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 | #142,108 | #149,446 | -5.2% |
| Count | 117 | 110 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Defrehn bearers went from 117 to 110 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 7,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #149,446.
FAQ
Defrehn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Defrehn?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Defrehn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Defrehn?
Defrehn ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Defrehn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Defrehn.
Has Defrehn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Defrehn went from 117 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Defrehn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Defrehn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Defrehn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Black (1.8%), Two or More Races (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 Defrehn (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 Defrehn mean?
A locational surname originating from the German village of Defren. 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 Defrehn (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 Americans have the surname Defrehn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.