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

Dittmer, 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 Dittmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dittmer in America

Dittmer is the 10459th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dittmer surname appeared 3,074 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 Dittmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dittmer 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 Dittmer

The surname Dittmer is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, specifically in areas such as Mecklenburg and Pomerania. The name is derived from the Low German word "ditt," which means "this" or "the same," combined with the suffix "-mer," indicating a person or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dittmer can be found in the town records of Rostock, a city in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, dating back to the 14th century. These records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as "Dittmar" and "Ditmer."

In the 16th century, the name Dittmer appeared in the Reformation-era documents of the city of Stralsund, located in the region of Western Pomerania. These documents suggest that the name was associated with individuals involved in the Protestant Reformation movement.

The Dittmer surname is also closely tied to several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Johann Dittmer (1614-1681), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Rostock. His contributions to the field of jurisprudence were widely recognized during his time.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Carl Dittmer (1821-1892), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in northern Germany. His works are preserved in various museums and art collections across the country.

In the 19th century, August Dittmer (1843-1904) gained recognition as a German-American engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing several significant innovations in the field of mechanical engineering, including improvements to steam engines and water pumps.

The Dittmer name also gained prominence in the realm of politics and public service. Otto Dittmer (1885-1971) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He served as a member of the Reichstag, the German parliament, during the Weimar Republic period.

Lastly, in the field of medicine, the name Dittmer is associated with Dr. Karl Dittmer (1901-1978), a German physician and researcher who made significant contributions to the study of infectious diseases, particularly in the field of epidemiology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dittmer

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

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 Dittmer 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 Dittmer 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 Dittmer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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