2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Droppleman
A German occupational surname derived from dropping, referring to someone involved in the production or sale of crops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Droppleman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Droppleman 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Droppleman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Droppleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Droppleman
The surname Droppleman is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "tropfo," meaning "drop," and the suffix "-man," indicating a person or occupation. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with liquids, such as a distiller or brewer.
The earliest known record of the surname Droppleman appears in a land deed from the town of Worms, dated 1287, which mentions a "Johannes Droppleman" as a witness. The name is also found in a 14th-century tax record from the city of Frankfurt, indicating its presence in various parts of what is now modern-day Germany.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Hans Droppleman, a master brewer who lived in Nuremberg in the late 15th century. His brewing techniques were highly regarded, and he is credited with helping to establish the city's reputation for producing high-quality beer.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in various court records and legal documents from the German states. A notable example is Johann Droppleman, a merchant and landowner from Cologne, who was involved in a dispute over property rights in 1572.
During the 17th century, the Droppleman family gained prominence in the wine-producing regions of Germany. Matthias Droppleman, born in 1632, was a renowned vintner from the Rheingau region, known for his exceptional Riesling wines.
The 18th century saw the spread of the Droppleman name across Europe, with several individuals making their mark in various fields. Friedrich Droppleman (1712-1786) was a respected scholar and linguist from Bavaria, who contributed to the study of ancient Germanic languages.
In the 19th century, the Droppleman surname was associated with the burgeoning industrial revolution. August Droppleman (1825-1901) was a prominent engineer from Berlin, known for his innovations in steam engine design and manufacturing.
As the name spread across the continent, variations in spelling emerged, such as Droppelmann, Droppelman, and Droppelman. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remained rooted in the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Droppleman
Among Census respondents with the surname Droppleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Droppleman 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 Droppleman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Droppleman
Droppleman appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-17 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 14,598 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 Droppleman 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 | #140,157 | #154,755 | -10.4% |
| Count | 119 | 102 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Droppleman bearers went from 119 to 102 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 14,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #154,755.
FAQ
Droppleman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Droppleman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Droppleman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Droppleman?
Droppleman ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Droppleman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Droppleman.
Has Droppleman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Droppleman went from 119 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Droppleman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Droppleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (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 Droppleman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Droppleman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (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 Droppleman (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 Droppleman mean?
A German occupational surname derived from dropping, referring to someone involved in the production or sale of crops. 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 Droppleman (0.03 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 Droppleman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.