2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dittes
A surname derived from a German word meaning "thick" or "stout."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Dittes. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dittes 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Dittes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dittes
The surname DITTES has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ditt," meaning "people" or "nation," suggesting that the name may have been a descriptive term for someone who belonged to a particular group or community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DITTES can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, dating back to 1587, where a certain Hans Dittes is mentioned as a resident. This suggests that the name had already been established in that region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name DITTES began to spread across various regions of Germany, with records indicating its presence in areas such as Saxony, Bavaria, and Hesse. During this period, variations in the spelling of the name also emerged, including Dittess, Dittes, and Dittis.
One notable figure bearing the surname DITTES was Johann Dittes, a German composer and organist who lived from 1675 to 1738. He was known for his contributions to the development of organ music in the Baroque period.
As the name continued to spread throughout Germany in the 18th and 19th centuries, it also began to appear in other parts of Europe. For example, records show that a family by the name of Dittes settled in the Czech Republic during the late 18th century, where they became involved in the local brewing industry.
In the 19th century, the surname DITTES gained further prominence with the birth of Ernst Dittes (1842-1915), a German theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of Christian ethics and the philosophy of religion.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Dittes (1900-1994), a German linguist and professor who specialized in the study of Slavic languages and contributed to the field of comparative linguistics.
As the 20th century progressed, the surname DITTES continued to be found across various parts of Europe, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including science, arts, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dittes
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dittes 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 Dittes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 9
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dittes
Dittes 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
-6 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,763 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-20 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | -6 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 11,763 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 18,988 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 Dittes 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 | #125,282 | #144,270 | -15.2% |
| Count | 137 | 117 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dittes bearers went from 137 to 117 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 18,988 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #144,270.
FAQ
Dittes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dittes?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Dittes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Dittes?
Dittes ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Dittes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Dittes.
Has Dittes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dittes went from 137 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Dittes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Dittes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dittes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (7.7%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Dittes (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 Dittes mean?
A surname derived from a German word meaning "thick" or "stout." 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 Dittes (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 common is the surname Dittes?
If you just want to know how many people are called Dittes, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.