2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dieterlen
A German surname believed to derive from a personal name meaning "people's leader".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Dieterlen. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dieterlen 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Dieterlen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dieterlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dieterlen
The surname DIETERLEN originated in the German-speaking regions of central Europe during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Dietrich, which itself comes from the Old High German words "diet" meaning "people" and "rih" meaning "ruler." The suffix "-len" was a common diminutive added to names in this region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DIETERLEN can be found in the town records of Heidelberg, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. A man named Hans Dieterlen is listed as a resident of the city in 1387. The name also appears in various church registers and municipal documents throughout southern Germany and neighboring regions during the 15th and 16th centuries.
A notable figure bearing the DIETERLEN surname was Johann Dieterlen, a German theologian and Protestant reformer who lived from 1475 to 1537. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and was a close associate of Martin Luther. Another historical figure was Philipp Friedrich Dieterlen, a German composer and organist who lived from 1744 to 1789 and is best known for his choral works.
In the 19th century, the DIETERLEN name can be found in various records related to the German diaspora. For instance, a man named Karl Dieterlen emigrated from Württemberg, Germany, to the United States in 1848 and settled in Missouri. He later fought in the American Civil War as a Union soldier.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Eduard Dieterlen, a German-born missionary and linguist who lived from 1819 to 1889. He spent much of his life studying and documenting the languages and cultures of southern Africa, particularly among the Tswana people of modern-day Botswana.
While the DIETERLEN surname is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other European countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. For example, there are records of individuals with this name in France, Switzerland, and even Russia, where it may have taken on slightly different spellings or variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dieterlen
Among Census respondents with the surname Dieterlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dieterlen 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 Dieterlen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dieterlen
Dieterlen 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
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 6,242 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 Dieterlen 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 | #154,907 | #148,665 | 4.0% |
| Count | 105 | 111 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dieterlen bearers went from 105 to 111 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 6,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #148,665.
FAQ
Dieterlen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dieterlen?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Dieterlen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Dieterlen?
Dieterlen ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Dieterlen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Dieterlen.
Has Dieterlen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dieterlen went from 105 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Dieterlen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dieterlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Dieterlen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dieterlen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Dieterlen (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 Dieterlen mean?
A German surname believed to derive from a personal name meaning "people's leader". 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 Dieterlen (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 share the surname Dieterlen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.