2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Drahn
A German surname derived from a place name containing the word "Dorn" meaning "thorn".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Drahn. 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 Drahn 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 Drahn 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 Drahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drahn
The surname DRAHN has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "drahne," which referred to a type of bee or drone. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, perhaps given to a beekeeper or someone involved in the production of honey.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Hans Drahn, a farmer from the village of Oberndorf in present-day Austria, who was mentioned in church records from 1563. Another early reference can be found in the Kirchenbuch (church book) of Zittau, a town in eastern Germany, where a certain Peter Drahn was listed as a resident in 1587.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread across various regions of Germany, with records indicating families bearing the DRAHN surname in places like Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. One notable individual from this period was Johann Drahn, a Lutheran pastor who served in the town of Eisenach from 1642 to 1673.
As the centuries progressed, the DRAHN surname continued to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. In the late 18th century, a man named Friedrich Drahn gained recognition as a talented violinist and composer, performing in several German courts and cities.
During the 19th century, the DRAHN name made its way across the Atlantic Ocean, with some families immigrating to the United States and other parts of the Americas. One such individual was Carl Drahn, a German immigrant who settled in Wisconsin in the 1850s and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Other notable individuals with the DRAHN surname include Wilhelm Drahn, a German painter and artist who lived from 1832 to 1905, and Hans Drahn, a German soldier who fought in World War I and received the Iron Cross for his bravery on the battlefield.
While the DRAHN surname is not among the most common in German-speaking regions, it has left its mark on history, with bearers of the name making contributions in various fields, from agriculture and religion to music and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Drahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Drahn 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 Drahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drahn
Drahn 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-38 bearers (-27.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 44,140 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+17 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -38 bearers (-27.5%) | Down 44,140 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 16,705 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 Drahn 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 | #160,975 | #144,270 | 10.4% |
| Count | 100 | 117 | 17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drahn bearers went from 100 to 117 (+17.0% change). The surname moved up 16,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #144,270.
FAQ
Drahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drahn?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Drahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Drahn?
Drahn 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 Drahn. 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 Drahn.
Has Drahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drahn went from 100 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 17 (+17.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Drahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Drahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Drahn (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 Drahn mean?
A German surname derived from a place name containing the word "Dorn" meaning "thorn". 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 Drahn (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 Drahn?
You can see how common the surname Drahn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.