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

Dreyfuss, 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 Dreyfuss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dreyfuss in America

Dreyfuss is the 36900th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dreyfuss surname appeared 605 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 Dreyfuss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dreyfuss 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 Dreyfuss

The surname Dreyfuss is of German origin, originating in the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "drei" meaning "three" and "fuss" meaning "foot," likely referring to someone with a distinctive gait or foot shape. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Dreyfuess," which was used in the 14th century in the region of Bavaria.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dreyfuss can be found in the Rostock city records of 1418, where a Johannes Dreyfuss is mentioned as a merchant. Another early reference is in the Nuremberg tax records of 1487, which lists a Hans Dreyfuss as a resident.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various German regions, including the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family of Dreyfuss tanners and leatherworkers lived. One notable member of this family was Michael Dreyfuss (1528-1597), who was a respected master tanner and civic leader.

The name Dreyfuss also has a connection to the town of Wertheim in Baden-Württemberg, where a branch of the family settled in the 17th century. One of the earliest recorded members of this branch was Johann Philipp Dreyfuss (1642-1718), a prominent merchant and landowner.

In the 19th century, the name Dreyfuss became associated with the famous Dreyfus Affair in France, involving the wrongful conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935) for treason. Although spelled slightly differently, the names share a common German origin and pronunciation.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dreyfuss throughout history include:

1. Friedrich Dreyfuss (1844-1924), a German-Swiss watchmaker and industrialist who founded the Dreyfuss & Co. watch company.
2. Henry Dreyfuss (1904-1972), an American industrial designer known for designing iconic products like the Bell System telephone and the Hoover vacuum cleaner.
3. Richard Dreyfuss (born 1947), an American actor known for films like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Mr. Holland's Opus.
4. Renée Dreyfus (1932-2014), a French classical pianist and composer.
5. Luise Dreyfuss (1881-1945), a German actress and theater director who co-founded the Dreyfuss Theater in Berlin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dreyfuss

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

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 Dreyfuss 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 Dreyfuss 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 Dreyfuss was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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