2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Drob
A surname potentially related to the Croatian word "drop" meaning deer or person from the region of Drop.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Drob. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drob 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Drob in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drob, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drob
The surname DROB is believed to have originated in the region of Eastern Europe, specifically in areas that are now part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. The name can be traced back to the 15th century, deriving from the Slavic word "drob," which means "small" or "little."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DROB surname appears in a Polish census record from the year 1472, where a man named Jakub Drob is listed as a resident of the village of Krakow. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to individuals who were engaged in small trades or crafts.
In the 16th century, the name DROB appeared in several historical documents from the region, including a legal document from 1521 that mentions a landowner named Stanislaw Drob. This indicates that by that time, the surname had become more established and was being used by members of different social classes.
The DROB surname is also found in some early religious records, such as a baptismal register from 1612 in the town of Lviv (now part of Ukraine), which lists the birth of a child named Anna Drob. This suggests that the name had spread across the region and was being adopted by families of various backgrounds.
One notable person bearing the DROB surname was Piotr Drob, a Polish military officer who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 17th century. He fought in several battles against the Swedish and Prussian armies during the Northern Wars.
Another historical figure with the DROB surname was Jan Drob, a Polish philosopher and writer who lived in the 18th century. He is best known for his work "Treatise on the Nature of the Soul," which explored metaphysical and theological concepts.
In the 19th century, the DROB surname gained prominence in the arts and literature. Adam Drob was a Polish painter who was celebrated for his landscapes and portraits, while Katarzyna Drob was a renowned poet whose works explored themes of love, nature, and patriotism.
As the DROB surname spread across Eastern Europe, it also found its way into other regions, such as Germany and Austria. In the late 19th century, a German businessman named Heinrich Drob established a successful trading company in Berlin, which played a significant role in the city's economic development.
Throughout its history, the DROB surname has been associated with various occupations, from farmers and artisans to soldiers, scholars, and artists. While its origins may have been humble, the name has left an indelible mark across various fields and continues to be carried by families around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drob
Among Census respondents with the surname Drob, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Drob 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 Drob surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drob
Drob 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-20 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 30,532 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 30,532 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,986 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 Drob 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 | #160,975 | #152,989 | 5.0% |
| Count | 100 | 105 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drob bearers went from 100 to 105 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,989.
FAQ
Drob surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drob?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Drob. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Drob?
Drob ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Drob. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Drob.
Has Drob become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drob went from 100 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Drob?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drob, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Drob in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drob appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (2.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Drob (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 Drob mean?
A surname potentially related to the Croatian word "drop" meaning deer or person from the region of Drop. 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 Drob (0.04 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 Drob?
Find out how common the surname Drob is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.