2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Drobeck
A surname of Czech origin meaning small person or person of small stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Drobeck. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drobeck 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Drobeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drobeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drobeck
The surname Drobeck is of German origin, believed to have originated in the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Dorf" meaning village or hamlet, combined with the suffix "-beck" which denotes a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream in a village or rural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Drobeck can be found in the records of the town of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. In these records, a man named Hans Drobeck is listed as a landowner and farmer.
The Drobeck name also appears in various church records and parish registers across various regions of Germany throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. These records often provide insights into the lives and occupations of individuals bearing the name, many of whom were farmers, craftsmen, or tradesmen.
In the 19th century, records show that the Drobeck family had spread to different parts of Europe, including parts of what is now Poland and the Czech Republic. One notable individual from this time period was Johann Drobeck, a German-born painter and artist who lived from 1815 to 1879 and was known for his landscapes and portraits.
Another significant figure with the Drobeck surname was Karl Drobeck, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1842 to 1917. He was a renowned scholar and author of several books on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the early 20th century, the Drobeck name appeared in various immigration records as families from Germany and other parts of Europe sought new opportunities in countries like the United States and Canada. One such individual was Wilhelm Drobeck, who immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1910 and worked as a carpenter in New York City.
Throughout its history, the Drobeck surname has maintained its connection to its German roots and the rural, village-based origins suggested by its etymology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drobeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Drobeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Drobeck 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 Drobeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drobeck
Drobeck 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,804 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+11 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 14,804 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 11,758 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 Drobeck 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 | #159,712 | #147,954 | 7.4% |
| Count | 101 | 112 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drobeck bearers went from 101 to 112 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 11,758 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #147,954.
FAQ
Drobeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drobeck?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Drobeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Drobeck?
Drobeck ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Drobeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Drobeck.
Has Drobeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drobeck went from 101 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 11 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Drobeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drobeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Drobeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drobeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Drobeck (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 Drobeck mean?
A surname of Czech origin meaning small person or person of small stature. 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 Drobeck (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 Americans have the surname Drobeck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.