2000
#74,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Dienhart
German: 'brave heart' or 'courageous heart', a descriptive surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 284 Americans carry the last name Dienhart. That puts it at #82,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,206,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dienhart 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
284
1 in 1,206,881
Census rank
#82,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
248
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 248 bearers of the surname Dienhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dienhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dienhart
The surname Dienhart is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Germanic words "dien" meaning servant and "hart" meaning brave or hardy, potentially indicating a person of strong character in servitude or loyalty.
The earliest known record of the Dienhart name appears in a 1457 document from the town of Worms, which mentions a Johann Dienhart as a landowner. In the 16th century, records show the Dienhart family residing in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
The name Dienhart is also found in various historical manuscripts, such as the "Codex Diplomaticus Salemitanus" from the 13th century, which references a "Chunradus Dienhart" as a witness to a land transaction in the Salemi monastery.
One notable bearer of the Dienhart name was Hans Dienhart (1551-1622), a German military engineer and architect who worked on fortifications in the Duchy of Württemberg. His designs for defensive structures and urban planning were influential during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent figure was Johann Dienhart (1625-1683), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. His writings on ethics and moral philosophy were widely studied in academic circles of the time.
In the 18th century, Johann Jakob Dienhart (1718-1795) was a renowned German jurist and legal scholar. He held prestigious positions as a judge and advisor to various courts, contributing significantly to the development of German jurisprudence.
The Dienhart name also gained recognition through the work of Friedrich Dienhart (1810-1892), a German botanist and horticulturist. He authored several books on plant cultivation and established a successful nursery business, contributing to the advancement of horticulture in Germany.
Another notable figure was Karl Dienhart (1875-1944), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region. His works captured the natural beauty of the area and were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dienhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Dienhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dienhart 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 Dienhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 18
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dienhart
Dienhart 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
#78,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 245
+2 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,876 places
2020
#82,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
+3 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 4,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #74,164 | 243 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #78,040 | 245 | 0.08 | +2 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 3,876 places |
| 2020 | #82,069 | 248 | 0.08 | +3 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 4,029 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 Dienhart 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 | #78,040 | #82,069 | -5.2% |
| Count | 245 | 248 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dienhart bearers went from 245 to 248 (+1.2% change). The surname moved down 4,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #78,040 to #82,069.
FAQ
Dienhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dienhart?
Name Census estimates that about 284 living Americans carry the surname Dienhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,206,881 residents.
How common is Dienhart?
Dienhart ranks #82,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 248 people with the surname Dienhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Dienhart.
Has Dienhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dienhart went from 245 recorded bearers to 248. That is an increase of 3 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #78,040 to #82,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Dienhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dienhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Dienhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (223 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dienhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (7.3%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Dienhart (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 Dienhart mean?
German: 'brave heart' or 'courageous heart', a descriptive surname. 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 Dienhart (0.08 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 last name Dienhart?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Dienhart is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.