2000
#14,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Dreier
A German surname deriving from the number "three", perhaps originally describing a third son.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,125 Americans carry the last name Dreier. That puts it at #15,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dreier 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
2.1K
1 in 161,296
Census rank
#15,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,853 bearers of the surname Dreier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dreier
The surname DREIER originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "dreier," which means "group of three" or "threesome." This name likely referred to someone who worked with groups of three people or objects.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DREIER surname dates back to the 14th century in the town of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans DREIER was mentioned in a ledger from 1387. The name also appeared in various records from other German cities like Frankfurt and Munich around this time.
During the 16th century, the DREIER name was found in several historical documents in the region of Bavaria. A notable figure was Georg DREIER (1501-1573), a Protestant reformer and theologian who played a role in the Reformation in Germany.
In the 17th century, the DREIER surname spread to other parts of Europe. Johann DREIER (1624-1697) was a German composer and organist who worked in Copenhagen, Denmark. His works included sacred and secular compositions for voices and instruments.
As the name continued to spread, it also began to appear in different spellings such as DREYER and DREYER. In the 18th century, a famous bearer of the name was Johann Philipp DREYER (1723-1789), a German astronomer and cartographer who created detailed maps of the moon's surface.
Another notable DREIER was Max DREIER (1862-1946), a German-American engineer and inventor who worked on early developments in wireless communication and held several patents related to radio technology. He immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and lived in New York City.
While the DREIER surname originated in Germany, it eventually spread to other countries through migration and immigration. Some other notable individuals with this last name include Theodor DREIER (1886-1962), a Swiss legal scholar and philosopher, and Thomas DREIER (born 1957), a German legal scholar and professor of law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dreier
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dreier 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 Dreier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,701
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 71
- Two or more races3.0% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dreier
Dreier 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
#15,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,815
-42 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,315 places
2020
#15,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
+38 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 747 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,680 | 1,857 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,995 | 1,815 | 0.62 | -42 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,315 places |
| 2020 | #15,248 | 1,853 | 0.62 | +38 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 747 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 Dreier 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 | #15,995 | #15,248 | 4.7% |
| Count | 1,815 | 1,853 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.62 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dreier bearers went from 1,815 to 1,853 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 747 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,995 to #15,248.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dreier
FAQ
Dreier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dreier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the surname Dreier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,296 residents.
How common is Dreier?
Dreier ranks #15,248 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 1,853 people with the surname Dreier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,125), 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 Dreier.
Has Dreier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dreier went from 1,815 recorded bearers to 1,853. That is an increase of 38 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,995 to #15,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Dreier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Dreier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,701 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dreier 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 (3.0%). 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 Dreier (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 Dreier mean?
A German surname deriving from the number "three", perhaps originally describing a third son. 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 Dreier (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 Dreier?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Dreier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.