2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Detgen
A German surname derived from a place name with the meaning "from the village".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Detgen. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Detgen 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Detgen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Detgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Detgen
The surname DETGEN has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "detge," which means "a small dam or dike." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or maintained small dams or dikes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DETGEN surname can be found in the town records of Lübeck, a city in northern Germany, from the year 1487. The record mentions a certain "Hans Detgen," indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the DETGEN surname gained further prominence in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the cities of Hamburg and Bremen. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Detgen (1545-1623), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bremen, and Gerhard Detgen (1603-1672), a respected theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Lüneburg.
In the 18th century, the DETGEN name spread to other parts of Europe as a result of migration and trade. One remarkable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Detgen (1738-1812), a German-born merchant and philanthropist who settled in the Netherlands and made significant contributions to the development of the city of Rotterdam.
The 19th century saw the DETGEN surname appearing in various historical records across Germany and beyond. One example is Theodor Detgen (1821-1897), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the DETGEN surname include Ernst Detgen (1861-1932), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, and Helmut Detgen (1908-1992), a German World War II veteran and author who wrote extensively about his experiences during the war.
It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the DETGEN surname may have occurred over time, with some records showing alternative forms such as Detjen or Dettgen. Additionally, the name may have been associated with certain place names or regions where it was particularly prevalent, further adding to its geographical and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Detgen
Among Census respondents with the surname Detgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Detgen 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 Detgen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 112
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Detgen
Detgen 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-25 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,111 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 30,111 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,126 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 Detgen 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 | #148,347 | #147,221 | 0.8% |
| Count | 111 | 113 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Detgen bearers went from 111 to 113 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #147,221.
FAQ
Detgen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Detgen?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Detgen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Detgen?
Detgen ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Detgen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Detgen.
Has Detgen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Detgen went from 111 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Detgen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Detgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Detgen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Detgen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Detgen (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 Detgen mean?
A German surname derived from a place name with the meaning "from the village". 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 Detgen (0.04 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 Detgen?
See how many people have the surname Detgen on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.