2000
#12,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Deters
Dutch and German occupational surname for a potter or maker of roof tiles, derived from the Middle Dutch "decker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,327 Americans carry the last name Deters. That puts it at #10,542 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deters 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
3.3K
1 in 103,022
Census rank
#10,542
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,901 bearers of the surname Deters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10542nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deters, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deters
The surname Deters is of German origin, and it is believed to have first emerged in the 14th century. The name is derived from the Middle Low German word "deter," meaning "the better one" or "the superior one." It was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered superior or better than others in a particular field or occupation.
The earliest recorded instances of the Deters surname can be found in various German record books and manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Hans Deters in the town records of Lübeck, a city in northern Germany, in the year 1482.
During the medieval period, the Deters name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia in northern Germany. In these areas, the name was sometimes spelled differently, such as "Deter," "Ditters," or "Detters," due to variations in local dialects and spelling conventions.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the Deters surname have made noteworthy contributions in various fields. One such individual was Johann Deters (1624-1697), a German composer and organist who was known for his sacred music compositions and served as the Kantor of the Marienkirche in Lübeck.
Another notable figure was Gottfried Deters (1795-1868), a German theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of hermeneutics, the study of interpretation and understanding.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Deters (1824-1892) was a prominent German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and played a role in the unification of Germany.
More recently, Hans Deters (1908-1977) was a German artist and painter known for his expressionist works and his association with the German Expressionist movement.
Lastly, Dieter Deters (born 1939) is a German mathematician and academic who has made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis and scientific computing.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the Deters surname who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, showcasing the rich heritage and diversity associated with this German surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deters
Among Census respondents with the surname Deters, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Deters 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 Deters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 2,747
- Two or more races2.2% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 50
- Black or African American0.9% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deters
Deters 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
#13,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,297
+46 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 662 places
2020
#10,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,901
+604 bearers (+26.3%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 2,736 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,616 | 2,251 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,278 | 2,297 | 0.78 | +46 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 662 places |
| 2020 | #10,542 | 2,901 | 0.97 | +604 bearers (+26.3%) | Up 2,736 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 Deters 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 | #13,278 | #10,542 | 20.6% |
| Count | 2,297 | 2,901 | 26.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.97 | 24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deters bearers went from 2,297 to 2,901 (+26.3% change). The surname moved up 2,736 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,278 to #10,542.
FAQ
Deters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deters?
Name Census estimates that about 3,327 living Americans carry the surname Deters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,022 residents.
How common is Deters?
Deters ranks #10,542 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,901 people with the surname Deters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Deters.
Has Deters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deters went from 2,297 recorded bearers to 2,901. That is an increase of 604 (+26.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,278 to #10,542.
What does the Census say about the background of Deters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deters, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Deters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (2,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Deters (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 Deters mean?
Dutch and German occupational surname for a potter or maker of roof tiles, derived from the Middle Dutch "decker." 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 Deters (0.97 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 common is the surname Deters?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Deters at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.