2000
#37,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Dreyfuss
Of German origin, refers to someone who came from or lived near a thorn bush or thicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 708 Americans carry the last name Dreyfuss. That puts it at #38,609 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 484,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dreyfuss 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
708
1 in 484,116
Census rank
#38,609
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
617
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 617 bearers of the surname Dreyfuss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38609th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreyfuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dreyfuss
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreyfuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dreyfuss 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 Dreyfuss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 560
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 24
- Two or more races2.6% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 10
- Black or African American1.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dreyfuss
Dreyfuss 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
#36,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 605
+56 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 1,086 places
2020
#38,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 617
+12 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 1,709 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,986 | 549 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,900 | 605 | 0.21 | +56 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 1,086 places |
| 2020 | #38,609 | 617 | 0.21 | +12 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 1,709 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 Dreyfuss 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 | #36,900 | #38,609 | -4.6% |
| Count | 605 | 617 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dreyfuss bearers went from 605 to 617 (+2.0% change). The surname moved down 1,709 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,900 to #38,609.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dreyfuss
FAQ
Dreyfuss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dreyfuss?
Name Census estimates that about 708 living Americans carry the surname Dreyfuss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 484,116 residents.
How common is Dreyfuss?
Dreyfuss ranks #38,609 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 617 people with the surname Dreyfuss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (708), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Dreyfuss.
Has Dreyfuss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dreyfuss went from 605 recorded bearers to 617. That is an increase of 12 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,900 to #38,609.
What does the Census say about the background of Dreyfuss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dreyfuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dreyfuss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (560 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dreyfuss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dreyfuss (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 Dreyfuss mean?
Of German origin, refers to someone who came from or lived near a thorn bush or thicket. 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 Dreyfuss (0.21 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 common is the surname Dreyfuss?
You can see how common the surname Dreyfuss is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.