2000
#13,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Dittrich
Derived from a diminutive of the German name Dietrich, meaning "ruler of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,109 Americans carry the last name Dittrich. That puts it at #15,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,520 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dittrich 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dittrich with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 162,520
Census rank
#15,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,839 bearers of the surname Dittrich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dittrich
The surname Dittrich has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German words "diet" or "theod," meaning "people" or "nation," and "rīke," meaning "realm" or "kingdom." The combination of these words formed the name "Dietrich," which later evolved into the modern spelling "Dittrich."
The name first appeared in various historical records from the 11th century onwards, particularly in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Franconia. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Reichenauensium, a medieval manuscript from the Reichenau Abbey in Baden-Württemberg, dated around 1150.
In the 13th century, the name Dittrich was associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Heinrich Dittrich, a renowned scholar and theologian born in Regensburg around 1230. He authored several influential works on theology and philosophy during his lifetime.
Another historical figure bearing the surname Dittrich was Johannes Dittrich, a merchant and landowner from Nuremberg. Records from the 14th century indicate that he played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce, contributing to its prosperity during that era.
In the 16th century, the name Dittrich gained further prominence with the birth of Martin Dittrich (1516-1584), a Lutheran theologian and reformer. He was actively involved in the Protestant Reformation movement and authored several religious texts that shaped the theological discourse of his time.
During the 17th century, the Dittrich family established itself as a prominent noble lineage in Saxony. One notable member was Friedrich Wilhelm von Dittrich (1647-1712), a military commander who served in the Thirty Years' War and later became a respected statesman.
The 18th century saw the rise of Johann Dittrich (1732-1809), a German composer and organist. He was celebrated for his contributions to sacred music and his compositions for the organ, which were widely performed in churches across Germany.
Throughout its history, the surname Dittrich has been associated with various places and regions across Germany, including Dittrichshausen, a town in Thuringia, and Dittrichsdorf, a village in Saxony-Anhalt, both of which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the Dittrich surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dittrich
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dittrich 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 Dittrich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 1,731
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 47
- Two or more races2.3% · 43
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dittrich
Dittrich 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
#14,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,013
+23 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 843 places
2020
#15,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,839
-174 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,912 | 1,990 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,755 | 2,013 | 0.68 | +23 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 843 places |
| 2020 | #15,363 | 1,839 | 0.62 | -174 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 608 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 Dittrich 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 | #14,755 | #15,363 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,013 | 1,839 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dittrich bearers went from 2,013 to 1,839 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 608 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,755 to #15,363.
FAQ
Dittrich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dittrich?
Name Census estimates that about 2,109 living Americans carry the surname Dittrich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,520 residents.
How common is Dittrich?
Dittrich ranks #15,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,839 people with the surname Dittrich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Dittrich.
Has Dittrich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dittrich went from 2,013 recorded bearers to 1,839. That is a decrease of 174 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,755 to #15,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Dittrich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dittrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Dittrich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (1,731 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dittrich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Dittrich (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 Dittrich mean?
Derived from a diminutive of the German name Dietrich, meaning "ruler of the people." 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 Dittrich (0.62 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 people have the last name Dittrich?
See how many people have the last name Dittrich on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.