Derleth last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Derleth

A German surname derived from a place name.

Derleth, 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 Derleth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Derleth in America

Derleth is the 45495th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Derleth surname appeared 470 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 Derleth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Derleth 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 45495 43157 5.27%
Count 470 472 -0.42%
Proportion per 100k 0.16 0.17 -6.06%

The history of the last name Derleth

The surname DERLETH originates from Germany, with its earliest known use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "derling," meaning "small" or "insignificant," possibly referring to someone of small stature or humble beginnings.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the DERLETH surname can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Bavaria, in the year 1567, where a certain Hans DERLETH is mentioned as a resident. This suggests that the name may have originated or gained prominence in the southern regions of Germany before spreading to other areas.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, several prominent individuals bearing the DERLETH surname emerged, including Johann Friedrich DERLETH (1619-1677), a noted theologian and author from Saxony, and Wilhelm DERLETH (1733-1789), a respected jurist and legal scholar from Silesia.

In the 19th century, the DERLETH name gained further recognition with the birth of August DERLETH (1819-1891), a German-American writer and poet who immigrated to the United States and settled in Wisconsin. His works, often centered around themes of nature and the American frontier, contributed to the literary landscape of the time.

Another notable figure was August Derleth (1909-1971), an American writer and anthologist who was instrumental in preserving and promoting the works of H.P. Lovecraft and other horror and science fiction authors. He was born in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and founded the publishing house Arkham House, which became a prominent publisher of weird fiction.

The DERLETH surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as the town of Derleth in Lower Saxony and the village of Derling in Saxony-Anhalt, further reinforcing its German origins.

While the DERLETH surname may not be among the most common surnames globally, it has left an indelible mark on literature, academia, and various other fields throughout history, serving as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and diverse contributions of those who bear this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Derleth

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

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 Derleth was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.30% 462
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 1.06% 5

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 Derleth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 98.30% 98.52% -0.22%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.06% 1.27% -18.03%

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 Derleth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!

"Derleth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/derleth-surname-popularity/.

"Derleth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/derleth-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 July, 2025

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

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.