2000
#8,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,772
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Deitz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Dietrich, meaning "ruler of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,027 Americans carry the last name Deitz. That puts it at #8,941 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,114 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deitz 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
4.0K
1 in 85,114
Census rank
#8,941
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,512 bearers of the surname Deitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8941st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deitz
The surname Deitz has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "Dietz," which means "people" or "folk." It is likely that the name was originally used to refer to individuals who lived in a specific region or community.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Deitz can be found in the church records of the town of Worms, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. In these records, which date back to the late 16th century, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Deitz or variations of the spelling, such as Dietz or Dietzsch.
The name Deitz has also been associated with various place names in Germany, particularly in the regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. For instance, there is a village called Dietzhölztal in the district of Lahn-Dill in Hesse, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Deitz. One of the earliest was Johann Deitz, a German theologian and Protestant reformer who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Worms in 1505 and played a significant role in the spread of the Protestant Reformation in the Rhineland region.
Another prominent figure with the surname Deitz was Johann Friedrich Deitz, a German composer and organist who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Mainz in 1717 and is known for his contributions to the development of sacred music during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, there was a German-American artist named Eduard Deitz who gained recognition for his landscape paintings. He was born in Rödingen, Germany, in 1834 and later immigrated to the United States, where he settled in Philadelphia and became a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club.
Another notable individual with the surname Deitz was August Deitz, a German-American architect who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in Germany in 1870 and later emigrated to the United States, where he designed several notable buildings in Philadelphia and other cities on the East Coast.
In the 20th century, there was a German-American artist named William Deitz who gained recognition for his abstract expressionist paintings. He was born in New York City in 1929 and was part of the vibrant art scene in the city during the mid-20th century.
While the surname Deitz is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history and has been associated with various notable individuals throughout the centuries, particularly in Germany and among German-American communities in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Deitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Deitz 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 Deitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 3,174
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 139
- Two or more races3.9% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deitz
Deitz 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
#8,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,784
+12 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 584 places
2020
#8,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,512
-272 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,097 | 3,772 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,681 | 3,784 | 1.28 | +12 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 584 places |
| 2020 | #8,941 | 3,512 | 1.17 | -272 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 260 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 Deitz 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 | #8,681 | #8,941 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,784 | 3,512 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.17 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deitz bearers went from 3,784 to 3,512 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 260 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,681 to #8,941.
FAQ
Deitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deitz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,027 living Americans carry the surname Deitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,114 residents.
How common is Deitz?
Deitz ranks #8,941 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,512 people with the surname Deitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,027), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Deitz.
Has Deitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deitz went from 3,784 recorded bearers to 3,512. That is a decrease of 272 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,681 to #8,941.
What does the Census say about the background of Deitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Deitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (3,174 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Deitz (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 Deitz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Dietrich, meaning "ruler of the people." 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 Deitz (1.17 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 Deitz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.