2000
#8,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,585
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Diedrich
A German surname derived from the given name Theodoric, meaning "ruler of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,881 Americans carry the last name Diedrich. That puts it at #9,241 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diedrich 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
3.9K
1 in 88,316
Census rank
#9,241
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,384 bearers of the surname Diedrich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9241st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diedrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Diedrich
The surname Diedrich originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Dietrich, which is composed of the elements "diet" meaning "people" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "powerful." This name was popular among German nobility and royalty, and it is likely that the surname Diedrich emerged as a descriptive name for someone who held a position of authority or power.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the German town of Hameln, where a certain Diedrich von Hameln was mentioned in local records from the year 1569. This individual's name suggests a possible connection to the famous Pied Piper of Hamelin legend, although historical evidence is scarce.
In the 17th century, the name was also found in the Netherlands, where it appeared as Diederik or Diderik. This variation likely resulted from the Dutch influence in the region at the time, as well as the natural evolution of names across borders and languages.
One notable individual with the surname Diedrich was Johann Christian Wilhelm Diedrich, a German botanist and naturalist who lived from 1815 to 1885. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Germany and authored several influential works on the subject.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Diedrich, a German politician and member of the Reichstag (the parliament of the German Empire) in the late 19th century. He was born in 1840 and played a role in the political landscape of his time.
In the realm of literature, there was Wilhelm Diedrich Haupt, a German philologist and scholar who lived from 1808 to 1878. He is known for his work on the study of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the field of classical philology.
Moving into the 20th century, one prominent figure was Willy Diedrich, a German football player who represented Germany in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He played as a defender and was part of the team that won the bronze medal in the football tournament.
Another individual worth mentioning is Erich Diedrich, a German actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century. He was born in 1908 and had a successful career in the entertainment industry, particularly in his home country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diedrich
Among Census respondents with the surname Diedrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Diedrich 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 Diedrich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,116
- Two or more races3.5% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Diedrich
Diedrich 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
#8,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,655
+70 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 491 places
2020
#9,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,384
-271 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,465 | 3,585 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,956 | 3,655 | 1.24 | +70 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 491 places |
| 2020 | #9,241 | 3,384 | 1.13 | -271 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 285 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 Diedrich 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 | #8,956 | #9,241 | -3.2% |
| Count | 3,655 | 3,384 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.13 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Diedrich bearers went from 3,655 to 3,384 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,956 to #9,241.
FAQ
Diedrich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Diedrich?
Name Census estimates that about 3,881 living Americans carry the surname Diedrich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,316 residents.
How common is Diedrich?
Diedrich ranks #9,241 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,384 people with the surname Diedrich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,881), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Diedrich.
Has Diedrich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Diedrich went from 3,655 recorded bearers to 3,384. That is a decrease of 271 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,956 to #9,241.
What does the Census say about the background of Diedrich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diedrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Diedrich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Diedrich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Diedrich (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 Diedrich mean?
A German surname derived from the given name Theodoric, meaning "ruler of the people." 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 Diedrich (1.13 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 Diedrich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.