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

Droste, 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 Droste surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Droste in America

Droste is the 23135th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Droste surname appeared 1,103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Droste.

We can also compare 2010 data for Droste 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 Droste

The surname Droste is of German origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "drost," which referred to a senior administrative official or steward. The name was likely given to individuals who held such positions in medieval times.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Droste can be found in various medieval documents and records from the Rhineland region of Germany. The name is mentioned in the Werdener Urkundenbuch, a collection of charters and documents from the Werden Abbey, dating back to the 13th century.

One of the notable figures with the surname Droste was Johann Droste zu Vischering (1550-1626), a German nobleman and military commander who served in the Thirty Years' War. Another prominent individual was Kaspar Max Droste zu Vischering (1770-1846), who was the Archbishop of Cologne from 1835 until his death.

In the 19th century, the name gained literary significance through Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797-1848), a German poet and novelist widely regarded as one of the most important writers of the Romantic era in Germany.

The Droste name also appeared in various place names and locations throughout Germany, such as Droste-Hülshoff, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, named after the aforementioned poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff.

Other notable individuals with the surname Droste include Ferdinand Droste zu Vischering (1770-1849), a Prussian statesman and politician, and Clemens August Droste zu Vischering (1773-1845), who served as the Bishop of Münster from 1825 to 1840.

While the surname Droste is primarily associated with Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the administrative and noble classes of medieval Germany, where it first emerged as a surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Droste

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

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

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

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