2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Duerfeldt
A German surname referring to someone from a rural area or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Duerfeldt. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duerfeldt 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Duerfeldt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duerfeldt
The surname DUERFELDT is of German origin, first appearing during the medieval period in the regions of northern Germany and parts of modern-day Poland. It is derived from the Old German words "dūr" meaning "gate" and "feld" meaning "field," suggesting the name may have originated as a topographic descriptor for someone living near a gated field or pasture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, found in a manuscript from the town of Lübeck, referring to a landowner named Johannes Duerfeldt. In the 15th century, records show a Henricus Duerfeldt serving as a magistrate in the city of Rostock.
The surname appears to have been particularly prevalent in the northern German states of Mecklenburg and Pomerania, with various spellings such as Dürfeldt and Dörfeldt being used interchangeably. In the town of Neubrandenburg, a prominent family of merchants and landowners bearing the name DUERFELDT is documented as early as the 16th century.
During the 17th century, a notable figure named Hans DUERFELDT (1620-1692) gained recognition as a skilled architect and master builder, responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the region around Stralsund. Another individual of historical significance was Johann DUERFELDT (1679-1745), a scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Greifswald.
In the 19th century, the DUERFELDT name became associated with the German military, with Wilhelm DUERFELDT (1818-1890) rising to the rank of General in the Prussian Army during the Franco-Prussian War. His son, Otto DUERFELDT (1856-1922), also pursued a military career and achieved the rank of Colonel in the Imperial German Army.
While the surname has its roots in northern Germany, over the centuries, individuals bearing the name DUERFELDT have migrated to various parts of the world, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and historical diversity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duerfeldt
Among Census respondents with the surname Duerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Duerfeldt 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 Duerfeldt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duerfeldt
Duerfeldt 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,312 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,312 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,516 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 Duerfeldt 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 | #143,149 | #148,665 | -3.9% |
| Count | 116 | 111 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duerfeldt bearers went from 116 to 111 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #148,665.
FAQ
Duerfeldt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duerfeldt?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Duerfeldt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Duerfeldt?
Duerfeldt ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Duerfeldt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Duerfeldt.
Has Duerfeldt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duerfeldt went from 116 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Duerfeldt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Duerfeldt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duerfeldt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Duerfeldt (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 Duerfeldt mean?
A German surname referring to someone from a rural area or village. 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 Duerfeldt (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 common is the surname Duerfeldt?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Duerfeldt, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.