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

Drost, 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 Drost surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drost in America

Drost is the 11355th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drost surname appeared 2,778 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Drost.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drost 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 Drost

The surname DROST is of Dutch and German origin, derived from the Middle Dutch and Middle Low German word "drost," meaning a feudal officer, steward, or bailiff. It emerged in the 13th century across the Rhine region, encompassing parts of modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various official records and manuscripts from the region. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Eltenberg Lehnbuch (Eltenberg Feudal Book) of 1370, which documented land ownership and feudal duties in the region.

In the 15th century, the surname gained prominence with the rise of the Drost family, who held significant positions of power and influence in the city of Münster, Germany. Johannes Drost (1456-1524), a prominent merchant and alderman, was one of the most notable figures of this era.

The name also appeared in various Dutch and German literary works, including the seminal 16th-century work "Reineke Fuchs" by Heinrich von Alkmar, where the character of "Drost Reinhart" is a prominent figure.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and regional variations, such as Drossart, Droste, and Drossaert. One of the most famous bearers of the name was the German poet and playwright, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797-1848), who is considered a pioneer of German Romanticism.

Another notable figure was the Dutch painter, Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681), who was also known as Gerard Drost, and was renowned for his genre paintings depicting domestic scenes and portraits of the Dutch elite.

In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in the military realm with figures like Johann Heinrich Drost (1730-1799), a Prussian general who served in the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars.

While the surname is most commonly associated with Dutch and German ancestry, it has also been found in other European countries, such as Belgium and Switzerland, due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drost

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

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

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

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