Find out how popular the last name Dirksen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dirksen.

Dirksen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dirksen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dirksen in America

Dirksen is the 15938th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dirksen surname appeared 1,823 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dirksen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dirksen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dirksen

The surname Dirksen is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It derives from the Dutch personal name Dirk, which itself is a shortened form of the Germanic name Theoderic, meaning "people ruler" or "powerful among the people." The suffix "-sen" or "-sen" in Dutch surnames typically denotes "son of."

The earliest recorded instances of the Dirksen surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe. Historical records from this period often show variations in spelling, such as Dircksen, Dircxsen, and Dircken.

One of the earliest known references to the Dirksen name can be found in the Gouden Eeuw (Dutch Golden Age) of the 17th century. During this prosperous period, a notable figure named Dirk Dirksen (1625-1680) emerged as a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Amsterdam.

In the 18th century, the Dirksen surname gained further recognition with the birth of Everard Arnold Dirksen (1717-1795), a Dutch lawyer and politician who served as the Lord of Breedenbroek and a member of the Ridderschap (Knighthood) of Overijssel.

Another significant figure in history bearing the Dirksen name was Reinier Dirksen (1790-1870), a Dutch naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the East Indies and the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century.

As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, the Dirksen surname also spread to other parts of the world, including the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and the Dutch West Indies (now the Caribbean). In the 19th century, a notable individual named Jacob Dirksen (1818-1876) was a Dutch-born sugar plantation owner and businessman in Suriname.

In the United States, the Dirksen surname gained prominence with the political career of Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896-1969), a Republican Senator from Illinois who served as the Senate Minority Leader and later the Senate Majority Leader during the 1960s.

While the Dirksen surname has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread across various parts of the world, reflecting the historical movements and migrations of Dutch people over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dirksen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dirksen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dirksen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dirksen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dirksen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dirksen, please contact us.

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