Find out how popular the last name Dresden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dresden.

Dresden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dresden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dresden in America

Dresden is the 52851st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dresden surname appeared 392 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dresden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dresden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dresden

The surname DRESDEN originates from Germany, specifically from the city of Dresden in the state of Saxony. The name is derived from the Slavic word "drežďane," which means "people of the forest stream." The earliest recorded mention of the name dates back to the 12th century.

In the 13th century, there are records of individuals bearing the surname DRESDEN in the city of Dresden itself. One notable example is Johann DRESDEN, a merchant who lived in the city during the late 1200s. The name was also found in other parts of Saxony, such as the town of Meissen, where a family of weavers named DRESDEN resided in the 14th century.

The DRESDEN surname gained prominence in the late Middle Ages, particularly during the reign of the House of Wettin, which ruled over Saxony from the 12th to the 20th century. Several members of this noble family bore the name DRESDEN, including Friedrich DRESDEN (1475-1539), who served as a court advisor to Duke Georg of Saxony.

During the Renaissance, the city of Dresden became a cultural and artistic center, attracting artists, scholars, and craftsmen from across Europe. One notable figure was the painter Lucas DRESDEN (1516-1586), whose works adorned the walls of the Dresden Castle and other notable buildings in the city.

In the 18th century, the DRESDEN surname spread beyond Saxony as a result of migration and trade. Johann Georg DRESDEN (1712-1784), a successful merchant from Leipzig, established a trading company in Amsterdam, while his cousin, Friedrich Wilhelm DRESDEN (1720-1789), became a respected jurist and legal scholar in Berlin.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the DRESDEN name continued to be associated with cultural and intellectual pursuits. The composer Richard DRESDEN (1832-1901) was renowned for his operas and orchestral works, while the philosopher and educator Max DRESDEN (1871-1946) made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral education.

Other notable individuals with the surname DRESDEN include the writer and poet Helene DRESDEN (1882-1957), the physicist Karl DRESDEN (1903-1992), who worked on the Manhattan Project, and the sculptor Rolf DRESDEN (1920-2003), whose public art installations can be found in various cities across Europe and North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dresden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dresden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dresden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dresden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dresden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dresden, please contact us.

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