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

Dettmer, 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 Dettmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dettmer in America

Dettmer is the 20565th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dettmer surname appeared 1,289 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 Dettmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dettmer 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 Dettmer

The surname DETTMER is of German origin, traced back to the 14th century in the region of Lower Saxony. It is believed to have originated from the German word "detten," meaning "to stop" or "to halt," and the suffix "-mer," a common ending in German names. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a place where travelers or traders would stop or pause on their journeys.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be "Dettmer" in the town records of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, dated around 1350. Variations in spelling were common during this time, and the name was also found as "Detmere," "Dettmere," and "Dettmehr" in various documents throughout the region.

One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the "Chroniken der Stadt Lüneburg," a chronicle of the city of Lüneburg, which mentions a "Hans Dettmer" in an entry dated 1418. This suggests that the name was well-established in the area by the early 15th century.

In the 16th century, the DETTMER name appears in the records of the city of Hanover, with a "Claus Dettmer" listed as a merchant and landowner in 1542. This indicates that the family had achieved a certain level of prominence and prosperity by this time.

Notable individuals with the surname DETTMER throughout history include Johann Dettmer (1625-1698), a Lutheran theologian and author from Lübeck, and Heinrich Dettmer (1787-1865), a German painter and engraver from Hannover. In the 19th century, Carl Dettmer (1818-1897) was a prominent German botanist and naturalist from Lüneburg, who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.

Another notable figure was Wilhelm Dettmer (1870-1948), a German architect and urban planner who designed several important buildings in Berlin during the early 20th century. More recently, Horst Dettmer (1925-2018) was a German actor and voice actor known for his work in theater, film, and television.

The DETTMER surname has a long and storied history, with its roots firmly planted in the Germanic regions of northern Germany. While its original meaning may have been related to a specific location or trade route, the name has since spread and been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and professionals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dettmer

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

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

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

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