2000
#5,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Doerr
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wire, from the Middle High German "dörære."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,619 Americans carry the last name Doerr. That puts it at #5,783 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doerr 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
6.6K
1 in 51,783
Census rank
#5,783
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,772 bearers of the surname Doerr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5783rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doerr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doerr
The surname Doerr is of German origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "dürr," which means "thin" or "slender." The name was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a slender physique.
The earliest recorded instances of the Doerr surname can be found in various German regions, particularly in Bavaria and the surrounding areas. The name is also found in various historical records, such as church registers and municipal records, from the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Doerr surname was Hans Doerr, born around 1530 in the village of Kirchheim, Bavaria. Records show that he was a farmer and landowner in the region.
Another notable figure with the Doerr surname was Johann Doerr, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1635 to 1692. He was a prominent scholar and author of several works on theology and philosophy during the Baroque era.
In the 19th century, the Doerr surname gained recognition with the birth of Hermann Doerr (1821-1902), a German-American entrepreneur and industrialist. He founded the Doerr Brewing Company in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which became one of the largest breweries in the region during the late 19th century.
Another prominent individual with the Doerr surname was Georg Doerr (1860-1923), a German artist and painter known for his landscape paintings and portraits. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Germany and Europe during his lifetime.
The Doerr surname can also be found in various place names and geographic locations within Germany, such as Dörrenbach, a small village in the state of Baden-Württemberg, which likely derived its name from the surname itself.
While the Doerr surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns. However, its roots and historical significance can be traced back to the German regions where it first emerged as a descriptive nickname centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doerr
Among Census respondents with the surname Doerr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Doerr 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 Doerr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 5,296
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 220
- Two or more races2.9% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 60
- Black or African American0.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doerr
Doerr 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
#5,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,942
-35 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 456 places
2020
#5,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,772
-170 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,361 | 5,977 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,817 | 5,942 | 2.01 | -35 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 456 places |
| 2020 | #5,783 | 5,772 | 1.93 | -170 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 34 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 Doerr 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 | #5,817 | #5,783 | 0.6% |
| Count | 5,942 | 5,772 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.93 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doerr bearers went from 5,942 to 5,772 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,817 to #5,783.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Doerr
FAQ
Doerr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doerr?
Name Census estimates that about 6,619 living Americans carry the surname Doerr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,783 residents.
How common is Doerr?
Doerr ranks #5,783 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,772 people with the surname Doerr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,619), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Doerr.
Has Doerr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doerr went from 5,942 recorded bearers to 5,772. That is a decrease of 170 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,817 to #5,783.
What does the Census say about the background of Doerr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doerr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Doerr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (5,296 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doerr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Doerr (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 Doerr mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wire, from the Middle High German "dörære." 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 Doerr (1.93 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 share the surname Doerr?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.