2000
#4,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Derr
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a dry or barren place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,903 Americans carry the last name Derr. That puts it at #4,953 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,370 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Derr 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
7.9K
1 in 43,370
Census rank
#4,953
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,892 bearers of the surname Derr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4953rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Derr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Derr
The surname Derr is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "dere," which means "door" or "gate." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a gatekeeper or a doorman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Derr can be found in the Palatinate region of Germany, where it was spelled as "Dörr" or "Dörre." This spelling variation likely emerged due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
In the 17th century, the name Derr appears in various German church records and parish registers, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River Valley. This indicates that the name was well-established in these regions during that time period.
One notable individual bearing the surname Derr was Johann Philipp Derr, a German composer and organist who lived from 1711 to 1763. He is known for his contributions to the development of church music in the Baroque period.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way into other regions, such as Switzerland and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Derrer" or "Derre."
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many German immigrants bearing the surname Derr made their way to the United States, particularly to Pennsylvania and Ohio. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is found in the records of the German Reformed Church in Philadelphia, where a family by the name of Derr settled in the late 1700s.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Derr in America was John Derr, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and is buried in the Old Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse cemetery in Pennsylvania.
Another prominent figure was George W. Derr, a lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1871 to 1877.
The name Derr has also been associated with various place names, such as Derr Township in Ohio and Derr Hill in Pennsylvania, further reinforcing its historical roots in these regions.
Throughout history, the surname Derr has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, musicians, soldiers, and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derr
Among Census respondents with the surname Derr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Derr 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 Derr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 6,247
- Black or African American3.0% · 206
- Two or more races2.9% · 198
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Derr
Derr 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
#4,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,456
+45 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 321 places
2020
#4,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,892
-564 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,428 | 7,411 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,749 | 7,456 | 2.53 | +45 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 321 places |
| 2020 | #4,953 | 6,892 | 2.31 | -564 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 204 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 Derr 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 | #4,749 | #4,953 | -4.3% |
| Count | 7,456 | 6,892 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.53 | 2.31 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Derr bearers went from 7,456 to 6,892 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,749 to #4,953.
FAQ
Derr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Derr?
Name Census estimates that about 7,903 living Americans carry the surname Derr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,370 residents.
How common is Derr?
Derr ranks #4,953 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,892 people with the surname Derr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,903), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Derr.
Has Derr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Derr went from 7,456 recorded bearers to 6,892. That is a decrease of 564 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,749 to #4,953.
What does the Census say about the background of Derr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Derr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Derr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (6,247 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Derr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Black (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Derr (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 Derr mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a dry or barren place. 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 Derr (2.31 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 Derr?
Find out how many people have the surname Derr on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.