2000
#96,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Differding
A German surname possibly derived from a place name, meaning "place of followers" or "people of the same belief".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 205 Americans carry the last name Differding. That puts it at #106,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,671,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Differding 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
205
1 in 1,671,972
Census rank
#106,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
179
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 179 bearers of the surname Differding in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 106101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Differding, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Differding
The surname Differding is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It likely emerged sometime during the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "differ," which means "different" or "separate."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Differding name can be found in a medieval document from the 13th century, where it appeared as "Differdinge." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been a locational surname, referring to a specific place or settlement.
In the 14th century, there are records of a family with the surname Differding residing in the town of Augsburg, Bavaria. A prominent member of this family was Johannes Differding, a merchant and landowner who lived between 1375 and 1442.
As the surname spread throughout Germany, it underwent various spelling changes over time. Some of the earliest recorded variations include Differdinger, Differdingk, and Differdinghe.
Another notable bearer of the Differding name was Hans Differding, a master carpenter who lived in Nuremberg during the late 15th century. He was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city, including the Church of St. Lorenz.
In the 16th century, the Differding family expanded beyond Germany, with some members settling in neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland. One such individual was Peter Differding, a Swiss watchmaker who lived from 1523 to 1587 and was renowned for his intricate timepieces.
During the 17th century, the Differding surname appeared in various records across Central Europe, including church registers and tax rolls. One noteworthy individual from this period was Maria Differding, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1621 to 1677 and was known for her intricate religious artwork.
As the centuries passed, the Differding name continued to spread throughout Europe, with some families eventually migrating to other parts of the world, such as North America and Australia. However, the majority of individuals bearing this surname remained concentrated in Germany and its surrounding regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Differding
Among Census respondents with the surname Differding, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Differding 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 Differding surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 169
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Differding
Differding 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
#105,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
-5 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,599 places
2020
#106,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
+9 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 1,022 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,480 | 175 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #105,079 | 170 | 0.06 | -5 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 8,599 places |
| 2020 | #106,101 | 179 | 0.06 | +9 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 1,022 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 Differding 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 | #105,079 | #106,101 | -1.0% |
| Count | 170 | 179 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Differding bearers went from 170 to 179 (+5.3% change). The surname moved down 1,022 positions in the national ranking, going from #105,079 to #106,101.
FAQ
Differding surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Differding?
Name Census estimates that about 205 living Americans carry the surname Differding. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,671,972 residents.
How common is Differding?
Differding ranks #106,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 179 people with the surname Differding. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Differding.
Has Differding become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Differding went from 170 recorded bearers to 179. That is an increase of 9 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #105,079 to #106,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Differding?
Among Census respondents with the surname Differding, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Differding in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Differding appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Differding (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 Differding mean?
A German surname possibly derived from a place name, meaning "place of followers" or "people of the same belief". 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 Differding (0.06 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 Differding?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.