2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Dierksheide
Meaning: A locational surname referring to someone from Dierksheide, a place name of German origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Dierksheide. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dierksheide 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Dierksheide in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dierksheide, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dierksheide
The surname Dierksheide has its origins in the Low German region of northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is likely derived from the Dutch words "dier" meaning "animal" and "heide" meaning "heath" or "moorland." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name describing an area of uncultivated, shrubby land where animals grazed.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 16th century in the region of East Frisia, which spans parts of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Dierksheide, a farmer from the village of Uphusen near Bremen, mentioned in local records from 1593.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Diercksheydt, Dierckshaide, and Diercksheiden, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography. During this period, the Dierksheide family was prominent in the town of Emden, East Frisia, where members held positions in the local government and merchant guilds.
Notable individuals with the surname Dierksheide include Johann Dierksheide (1632-1707), a respected theologian and author from Emden, who wrote extensively on the history of the Protestant Reformation in East Frisia. Another notable bearer was Gerhard Dierksheide (1765-1842), a successful merchant and shipowner from the port city of Papenburg.
In the 19th century, the name spread beyond its East Frisian roots as members of the Dierksheide family migrated to other parts of Germany and abroad. One such individual was Friedrich Dierksheide (1821-1892), a lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag, the parliament of the German Empire, representing the city of Hanover.
While the name Dierksheide is most commonly associated with its Low German heritage, it has also been found in other regions of Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For example, there are records of the name in the Netherlands, Denmark, and even as far as Russia, where a family of Dutch descent bore the surname in the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dierksheide
Among Census respondents with the surname Dierksheide, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dierksheide 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 Dierksheide surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dierksheide
Dierksheide appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 7,385 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 7,385 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 Dierksheide 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 | #160,975 | #153,590 | 4.6% |
| Count | 100 | 104 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dierksheide bearers went from 100 to 104 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 7,385 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #153,590.
FAQ
Dierksheide surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dierksheide?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Dierksheide. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Dierksheide?
Dierksheide ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Dierksheide. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Dierksheide.
Has Dierksheide become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dierksheide went from 100 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Dierksheide?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dierksheide, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Dierksheide in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dierksheide appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Black (1.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Dierksheide (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 Dierksheide mean?
Meaning: A locational surname referring to someone from Dierksheide, a place name of German origin. 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 Dierksheide (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 people have the last name Dierksheide?
If you just want to know how common the surname Dierksheide is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.