2000
#13,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Drees
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to a turner or lathe operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,440 Americans carry the last name Drees. That puts it at #13,630 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drees 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
2.4K
1 in 140,473
Census rank
#13,630
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,128 bearers of the surname Drees in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13630th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drees, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drees
The surname Drees is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Low German word "dressen," which means "to thresh" or "to separate grain from the chaff." It is likely that the earliest bearers of this surname were individuals who worked as threshers or were involved in the agricultural industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Drees can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already established in the area during that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans Drees was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Hamburg. He was a respected merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce.
During the 16th century, the name Drees appeared in various records across northern Germany, including church registers and tax rolls. One such record from the town of Lübeck in 1568 mentions a family by the name of Drees who owned a prosperous farm and mill.
In the 17th century, a prominent individual named Johann Drees (1620-1688) was a Lutheran theologian and author who wrote several influential works on religious philosophy and biblical interpretation.
Another notable bearer of the Drees surname was Wilhelm Drees (1886-1988), a German-born Dutch politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1958. He played a crucial role in the country's post-war reconstruction and economic recovery.
In the 18th century, the name Drees was found in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Westphalia, and Lower Saxony. One record from the town of Hannover in 1734 mentions a family named Drees who owned a successful bakery business.
Over time, the name Drees has also been associated with certain place names in Germany, such as the village of Drees in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This further solidifies the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drees
Among Census respondents with the surname Drees, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Drees 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 Drees surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 2,013
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 46
- Two or more races2.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drees
Drees 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
#14,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,098
+64 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 599 places
2020
#13,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,128
+30 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,675 | 2,034 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,274 | 2,098 | 0.71 | +64 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 599 places |
| 2020 | #13,630 | 2,128 | 0.71 | +30 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 644 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 Drees 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 | #14,274 | #13,630 | 4.5% |
| Count | 2,098 | 2,128 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.71 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drees bearers went from 2,098 to 2,128 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 644 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,274 to #13,630.
FAQ
Drees surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drees?
Name Census estimates that about 2,440 living Americans carry the surname Drees. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,473 residents.
How common is Drees?
Drees ranks #13,630 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,128 people with the surname Drees. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,440), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Drees.
Has Drees become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drees went from 2,098 recorded bearers to 2,128. That is an increase of 30 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,274 to #13,630.
What does the Census say about the background of Drees?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drees, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Drees in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,013 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drees appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Drees (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 Drees mean?
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to a turner or lathe operator. 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 Drees (0.71 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 Drees?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Drees on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.