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

Dettlaff, 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 Dettlaff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dettlaff in America

Dettlaff is the 81458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dettlaff surname appeared 232 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 Dettlaff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dettlaff 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 Dettlaff

The surname DETTLAFF is believed to have originated in the region of Prussia, which is now a part of modern-day Germany and Poland. It is thought to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.

One theory suggests that the name DETTLAFF is derived from the Old Prussian language, where "dett" means "to give" and "laff" means "praise" or "honor." This could indicate that the name may have originally been given to someone who was regarded as a generous or praiseworthy individual.

Another possibility is that the name is a combination of the Germanic elements "dett" meaning "people" and "laff" meaning "remnant" or "survivor." This could suggest that the name referred to someone who was part of a remaining or surviving group of people.

The earliest recorded instances of the name DETTLAFF can be found in various historical documents from the region of Prussia. One notable example is a record from the year 1492, which mentions a certain Johann DETTLAFF, a landowner in the town of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia).

In the 16th century, the name appears in the chronicles of the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic military order that played a significant role in the region. A knight by the name of Hartmut DETTLAFF is mentioned as participating in a battle against the Polish forces in 1521.

During the 17th century, the name DETTLAFF can be found in the records of the Prussian nobility. In 1673, a nobleman named Friedrich von DETTLAFF is listed as the owner of a manor in the town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn, Poland).

One of the most notable individuals with the surname DETTLAFF was Carl DETTLAFF, a Prussian architect who lived from 1789 to 1859. He was responsible for designing several important buildings in Berlin, including the Neue Wache (New Guardhouse) and the Charlottenburg Palace.

Another prominent figure was Wilhelm DETTLAFF, a German geologist and explorer who lived from 1848 to 1923. He is known for his extensive studies of the Arctic regions and his contributions to the field of glaciology.

In the 20th century, Hans DETTLAFF was a German-born American artist and illustrator (1896-1965) who is particularly known for his work in the field of comic book art.

While the surname DETTLAFF is not as common today as it once was, it can still be found among families with roots in the regions of Prussia and Germany, as well as among descendants of Prussian and German emigrants who settled in other parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dettlaff

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

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

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

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