Derfler last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Derfler is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Derfler.

Meaning of Derfler

A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely of German origin.

Derfler, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Derfler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Derfler in America

Derfler is the 78567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Derfler surname appeared 243 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Derfler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Derfler to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 78567 87348 -10.58%
Count 243 198 20.41%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.07 13.33%

The history of the last name Derfler

The surname Derfler has its origins in Germany, likely emerging sometime in the late medieval period or early modern era. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "Dorf," meaning "village," suggesting that early bearers of the name may have hailed from a particular village or rural area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the chronicles of the town of Aachen, where a certain Hans Derfler is mentioned as a resident in the year 1587. This indicates that the name was already established and in use by the 16th century in the Rhineland region of Germany.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and legal documents across different parts of Germany, such as in the town of Bamberg, where a Johann Derfler is listed as a landowner in 1632. This suggests that the Derfler family had become more widespread and potentially held some social or economic standing during this period.

As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be documented in various regions of Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as Dörfler or Derfeler, likely due to regional dialects and linguistic evolution.

Notably, in the 19th century, a prominent figure named Friedrich Derfler (1820-1892) gained recognition as a German botanist and curator of the Botanical Garden in Vienna, Austria. His contributions to the study of plant life and his extensive botanical collections brought further recognition to the Derfler name.

Another notable Derfler was the German artist and painter, Franz Derfler (1855-1924), whose works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe and garnered critical acclaim during his lifetime.

In the realm of literature, the name Derfler is associated with the Austrian writer and poet, Armin Derfler (1892-1963), whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience.

While the name Derfler may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with families bearing this surname now found in various countries, particularly in Europe and the Americas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Derfler

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Derfler.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Derfler was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.77% 223
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.06% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 4.53% 11

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Derfler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.77% 94.44% -2.87%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.06% 0.00% 200.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 4.53% 3.54% 24.54%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Derfler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Derfler, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Derfler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 11, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/derfler-surname-popularity/.

"Derfler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/derfler-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 July, 2025

Derfler last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/derfler-surname-popularity/.

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