2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dettmers
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Dettum in Lower Saxony, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Dettmers. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dettmers 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Dettmers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dettmers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dettmers
The surname Dettmers originated in Germany, likely in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is derived from the Germanic word "dett," meaning a small or insignificant place, and the suffix "-mer," which often denoted someone from a particular location.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Dettmers can be found in the Hauskalender, a historical calendar and record of local events in the town of Lübeck, dating back to the 16th century. This suggests that the name may have originated in or around the northern German region of Schleswig-Holstein.
In the 17th century, a family named Dettmers was documented as living in the town of Rendsburg, located in the Duchy of Holstein. This indicates that the name had spread to various parts of northern Germany by that time.
The Dettmers name has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Johann Dettmers, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his work on celestial mechanics and his contributions to the field of astronomy.
Another prominent figure with the surname Dettmers was Friedrich Dettmers, a German painter and illustrator who lived from 1808 to 1878. He is best known for his landscapes and illustrations inspired by the Romantic movement in art.
In the 19th century, a German author named Hermann Dettmers (1819-1890) gained recognition for his works of fiction and poetry, many of which were influenced by his experiences growing up in northern Germany.
A more recent individual with the Dettmers surname was Hans Dettmers, a German naval officer who served during World War II. He was born in 1892 and played a significant role in the Battle of the Atlantic as a U-boat commander.
The Dettmers name has also been associated with several place names in northern Germany, such as the village of Dettmershausen in Lower Saxony, which likely derived its name from the surname itself.
While the Dettmers name may not be as prominent as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the late Middle Ages and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including mathematicians, artists, authors, and military personnel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dettmers
Among Census respondents with the surname Dettmers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dettmers 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 Dettmers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 4
- Two or more races2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dettmers
Dettmers 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,533 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-11 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,912 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 5,533 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 3,912 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 Dettmers 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 | #152,628 | #156,540 | -2.6% |
| Count | 107 | 96 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dettmers bearers went from 107 to 96 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 3,912 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #156,540.
FAQ
Dettmers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dettmers?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Dettmers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Dettmers?
Dettmers ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 96 people with the surname Dettmers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Dettmers.
Has Dettmers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dettmers went from 107 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 11 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Dettmers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dettmers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Dettmers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dettmers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Dettmers (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 Dettmers mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Dettum in Lower Saxony, Germany. 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 Dettmers (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Dettmers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.