2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Diedrichsen
A surname of German origin meaning "son of Dietrich".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Diedrichsen. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diedrichsen 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Diedrichsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diedrichsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Diedrichsen
The surname Diedrichsen has its origins in northern Germany and the surrounding regions. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-sen" to the personal name "Diedrich". This name likely derives from the Germanic elements "diet" meaning people and "ric" meaning power or rule, signifying a powerful ruler among the people.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in areas like Holstein and Schleswig. One of the first documented references is found in the town records of Lübeck from 1284, mentioning a "Diderich Syvekingk". Similar spellings like Diedrichsen, Didrichsen, and Dittrichsen were common in medieval records across northern Germany and Denmark.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this name was Johann Diedrichsen (1508-1590), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Itzehoe, Holstein. He played a role in the Reformation movement and authored several works on theology.
The Diedrichsen name also appears in Dutch records, likely due to the close ties between the Low German regions. One example is Pieter Diedrichsen (1614-1673), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life works featuring fruit and flowers.
In the 19th century, Carl Diedrichsen (1829-1901) was a German-Danish politician and journalist who served as the mayor of Flensburg and was involved in the Schleswig-Holstein Question regarding the region's sovereignty.
Another notable bearer of this surname was Hans Diedrichsen (1876-1957), a German architect who designed several buildings in the Art Nouveau style, including the famous Bünting Teehaus in Bremen.
The Diedrichsen name has also been found in historical records from other parts of Europe, likely due to migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern German regions, where it originated as a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Diedrich.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diedrichsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Diedrichsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Diedrichsen 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 Diedrichsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 109
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Diedrichsen
Diedrichsen 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+4 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,953 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-21 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,621 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 4,953 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 19,621 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 Diedrichsen 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 | #129,825 | #149,446 | -15.1% |
| Count | 131 | 110 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Diedrichsen bearers went from 131 to 110 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 19,621 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #149,446.
FAQ
Diedrichsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Diedrichsen?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Diedrichsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Diedrichsen?
Diedrichsen ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Diedrichsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Diedrichsen.
Has Diedrichsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Diedrichsen went from 131 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Diedrichsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diedrichsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Diedrichsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Diedrichsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Diedrichsen (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 Diedrichsen mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "son of Dietrich". 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 Diedrichsen (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 have the surname Diedrichsen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.