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

Dershowitz, 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 Dershowitz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dershowitz in America

Dershowitz is the 111426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dershowitz surname appeared 158 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 Dershowitz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dershowitz 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.

The history of the last name Dershowitz

The surname Dershowitz originated from Eastern Europe, specifically in the areas of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. It is believed to have derived from the Yiddish language, which was widely spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish communities in this region. The name likely stems from the Yiddish word "dersh," meaning "to preach" or "to expound," suggesting a possible connection to a religious or scholarly lineage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dershowitz surname can be traced back to the late 18th century in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is found in various historical documents and records from that time period, such as synagogue registries and census records. The spelling of the name may have varied slightly, with variations like "Dershowicz" or "Dershavitz" appearing in some instances.

During the 19th century, as many Eastern European Jews emigrated to other parts of the world, the Dershowitz name began to spread across different countries. In the United States, for example, there are records of individuals bearing this surname arriving from the 1870s onwards, often settling in major urban centers with established Jewish communities.

Notable individuals with the Dershowitz surname include:

1. Alan Dershowitz (born 1938), an American lawyer, jurist, and former Harvard Law School professor, known for his work in legal ethics and his involvement in high-profile legal cases.

2. Shoshana Dershowitz (born 1964), an American-Israeli mathematician and computer scientist, known for her contributions to the field of computational geometry.

3. Raphael Dershowitz (1885-1942), a Polish-born Talmudic scholar and author, who served as the Chief Rabbi of Lviv (now in Ukraine) before being killed during the Holocaust.

4. Idan Dershowitz (born 1984), an Israeli professional basketball player, who has represented the Israeli national team and played in various European leagues.

5. Sidney Dershowitz (1918-2000), an American businessman and philanthropist, who founded the Dershowitz Group, a real estate development company based in New York City.

While the Dershowitz surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since become more widely dispersed globally, with individuals bearing this name found in various countries and communities around the world. Its history reflects the migration patterns and experiences of Jewish communities over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dershowitz

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

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 Dershowitz was:

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

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

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

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