2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Detsch
A surname of German origin meaning "German" or "of German descent".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Detsch. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Detsch 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Detsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Detsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Detsch
The surname DETSCH has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "dietsch," which referred to the Germanic language spoken in central and southern Germany. This term was often used to distinguish native German speakers from those who spoke Slavic or Romance languages.
The earliest known record of the name DETSCH appears in a manuscript from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1532. This document mentions a certain Hans Detsch, a merchant dealing in textiles. The name was also present in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family by the name of Detsch resided in the late 16th century.
One notable bearer of the surname was Johann Detsch, a renowned clockmaker from Augsburg, who lived from 1625 to 1697. His intricate and ornate clocks were highly sought after by European nobility and are now considered masterpieces of the era.
In the 18th century, the DETSCH name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One prominent individual was Friedrich Detsch, a military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
The 19th century saw the name spread further across Europe, with some DETSCH families migrating to neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this period was Karl Detsch, a German-born sculptor who lived from 1808 to 1876 and was best known for his works adorning several churches in Vienna.
As Germans immigrated to other parts of the world, the DETSCH surname traveled with them. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the 1850 census, which listed a family of DETSCH immigrants from Bavaria living in Ohio.
Throughout its history, the DETSCH surname has been associated with various occupations, from merchants and artisans to military personnel and artists. While not an exceptionally common name, it has left its mark across various regions and historical periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Detsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Detsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Detsch 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 Detsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 104
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Detsch
Detsch 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,280 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 11,280 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 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 Detsch 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 | #139,228 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Detsch bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Detsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Detsch?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Detsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Detsch?
Detsch ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Detsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Detsch.
Has Detsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Detsch went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Detsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Detsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Detsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Detsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Detsch (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 Detsch mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "German" or "of German descent". 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 Detsch (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 Detsch?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Detsch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.