2000
#9,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,038
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Dittmer
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone from any of several towns called Dittmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,240 Americans carry the last name Dittmer. That puts it at #10,787 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,788 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dittmer 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
3.2K
1 in 105,788
Census rank
#10,787
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,825 bearers of the surname Dittmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10787th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dittmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dittmer 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 Dittmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,642
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 75
- Two or more races2.4% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dittmer
Dittmer 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
#10,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,074
+36 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 637 places
2020
#10,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,825
-249 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 328 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,822 | 3,038 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,459 | 3,074 | 1.04 | +36 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 637 places |
| 2020 | #10,787 | 2,825 | 0.95 | -249 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 328 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 Dittmer 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 | #10,459 | #10,787 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,074 | 2,825 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.95 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dittmer bearers went from 3,074 to 2,825 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 328 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,459 to #10,787.
FAQ
Dittmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dittmer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,240 living Americans carry the surname Dittmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,788 residents.
How common is Dittmer?
Dittmer ranks #10,787 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,825 people with the surname Dittmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,240), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dittmer.
Has Dittmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dittmer went from 3,074 recorded bearers to 2,825. That is a decrease of 249 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,459 to #10,787.
What does the Census say about the background of Dittmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Dittmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,642 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dittmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Dittmer (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 Dittmer mean?
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone from any of several towns called Dittmer. 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 Dittmer (0.95 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 Dittmer?
See how common the surname Dittmer is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.