2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Drefke
A German topographic name referring to a person from a locality marked by scattered farmsteads.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Drefke. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drefke 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Drefke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drefke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drefke
The surname DREFKE is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, specifically in the town of Drefkau, where it was first recorded in the 13th century.
The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "drefen," which means "to drive" or "to herd," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in shepherding or herding livestock. The suffix "-ke" is a diminutive form, indicating a smaller or lesser version of the root word.
One of the earliest known references to the DREFKE name can be found in a land registry document from the year 1289, which mentions a "Hans Drefke" as a landowner in the village of Drefkau. This provides evidence that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Protestant Reformation, with a mention of a "Johann Drefke" who was a Lutheran pastor in the town of Wittenberg in 1542. This suggests that the DREFKE family had a presence in the religious and scholarly circles of the time.
One notable individual with the DREFKE surname was Friedrich Drefke (1822-1891), a German composer and music teacher who was born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). His compositions included works for piano and chamber ensembles, and he was also known for his contributions to music education.
Another figure of historical significance was Karl Drefke (1856-1927), a German architect who was born in Kiel. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank building and the Berlin Cathedral, which showcased his expertise in the Neo-Renaissance architectural style.
In the 19th century, the DREFKE name also appeared in the records of German immigrants to the United States. One such individual was Johann Drefke (1832-1901), who settled in Wisconsin and worked as a farmer. He and his family were among the early German settlers in the region.
Other notable individuals with the DREFKE surname include Hans Drefke (1891-1969), a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic, and Erich Drefke (1904-1988), a German-born American artist and sculptor known for his abstract works.
While the name DREFKE is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in medieval Germany, with various branches and individuals leaving their mark across different fields and regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drefke
Among Census respondents with the surname Drefke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Drefke 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 Drefke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 111
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drefke
Drefke 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+12 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,071 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,076 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 2,071 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 8,076 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 Drefke 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 | #134,712 | #142,788 | -6.0% |
| Count | 125 | 119 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drefke bearers went from 125 to 119 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 8,076 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #142,788.
FAQ
Drefke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drefke?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Drefke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Drefke?
Drefke ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Drefke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Drefke.
Has Drefke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drefke went from 125 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Drefke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drefke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Drefke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drefke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Black (1.7%). 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 Drefke (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 Drefke mean?
A German topographic name referring to a person from a locality marked by scattered farmsteads. 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 Drefke (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 many people are called Drefke?
If you just want to know how common the surname Drefke is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.