2000
#4,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,559
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.43
Rare Last name
Dreyer
An occupational surname referring to someone who turns wood on a lathe or a maker of wooden containers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,170 Americans carry the last name Dreyer. That puts it at #5,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dreyer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dreyer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,804
Census rank
#5,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,253 bearers of the surname Dreyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dreyer
The surname Dreyer originated in Germany and has its roots in the Germanic word "dreier," which means "turner" or "one who turns." This name was likely given to individuals who practiced the trade of turning wood or other materials on a lathe.
The name Dreyer can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck in the northern part of the country. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include Hermannus Dreyer, who was mentioned in a document from the city of Lübeck in 1388.
In the 15th century, the name Dreyer appeared in several historical records, such as the Bürgermatrikel (citizen registry) of the city of Hamburg, where it was spelled as "Dreyer" and "Dreier." This suggests that the name had variations in its spelling during that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Dreyer was Hans Dreyer, a merchant who lived in the city of Lübeck in the late 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe.
Another notable figure was Johannes Dreyer, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1572 to 1626. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and published several works, including the "Tabulae Rudolphinae," which contained improved planetary tables based on the observations of Tycho Brahe.
In the 17th century, the name Dreyer was also found in records from the Netherlands, where it was likely introduced by German immigrants. One example is Pieter Dreyer, a Dutch painter who lived from 1634 to 1706 and was known for his still-life paintings and portraits.
The surname Dreyer also has a connection to the Danish island of Bornholm, where it is believed to have been introduced by German settlers in the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable individual from this region was Johan Dreyer, a Danish writer and poet who lived from 1854 to 1934 and was celebrated for his works depicting life on the island of Bornholm.
Throughout history, there have been several other individuals with the surname Dreyer who have made contributions in various fields, including the arts, sciences, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dreyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dreyer 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 Dreyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 5,730
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 218
- Two or more races3.5% · 216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 51
- Black or African American0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dreyer
Dreyer 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
#5,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,751
+192 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#5,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,253
-498 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 208 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,922 | 6,559 | 2.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,175 | 6,751 | 2.29 | +192 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #5,383 | 6,253 | 2.09 | -498 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 208 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 Dreyer 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 | #5,175 | #5,383 | -4.0% |
| Count | 6,751 | 6,253 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.29 | 2.09 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dreyer bearers went from 6,751 to 6,253 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 208 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,175 to #5,383.
FAQ
Dreyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dreyer?
Name Census estimates that about 7,170 living Americans carry the surname Dreyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,804 residents.
How common is Dreyer?
Dreyer ranks #5,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,253 people with the surname Dreyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,170), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dreyer.
Has Dreyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dreyer went from 6,751 recorded bearers to 6,253. That is a decrease of 498 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,175 to #5,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Dreyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Dreyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (5,730 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dreyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Dreyer (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 Dreyer mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who turns wood on a lathe or a maker of wooden containers. 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 Dreyer (2.09 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 Dreyer?
Want to know how many people have the last name Dreyer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.