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

Detlefsen, 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 Detlefsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Detlefsen in America

Detlefsen is the 37229th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Detlefsen surname appeared 599 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 Detlefsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Detlefsen 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 Detlefsen

The surname Detlefsen is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around modern-day Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. The name dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.

Detlefsen is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from a given name followed by the suffix "-sen," which indicated "son of." In this case, Detlefsen is the son of Detlef or Diedlef, an Old German name composed of the elements "diet" (people) and "lef" (remaining, dear).

The earliest known record of the surname Detlefsen dates back to the 15th century, appearing in various medieval documents and records from northern Germany. One notable mention is in the Lübecker Ratslinenartikel, a legal text from the city of Lübeck, where a person named Hans Detlefsen is mentioned in 1457.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Detlefsen has had numerous variations in spelling, such as Detleffsen, Detlefzen, and Detlefson, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations across German-speaking lands.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Detlefsen was Jürgen Detlefsen, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of Hamburg in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Hans Detlefsen (1634-1695), a Lutheran theologian and writer from the Duchy of Holstein.

In the 18th century, Johann Detlefsen (1714-1787) was a German navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions, contributing to the advancement of cartography and navigation.

Moving into the 19th century, Christian Detlefsen (1812-1886) was a prominent German politician and lawyer from Schleswig-Holstein, serving as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the Revolutions of 1848.

In the field of literature, Hans Detlefsen (1853-1915) was a German writer and poet born in Flensburg, known for his works depicting life in northern Germany.

These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the surname Detlefsen throughout history, highlighting the name's deep roots in northern Germany and its presence across various professions and fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Detlefsen

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

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

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

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