2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Duesterbeck
A German surname referring to someone from a town with that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Duesterbeck. 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 Duesterbeck 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 Duesterbeck 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 Duesterbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duesterbeck
The surname DUESTERBECK has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known references dating back to the late 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German words "duester," meaning "gloomy" or "dark," and "beck," meaning a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a dark or shaded brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Wuppertal, located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where a family by the name of DUESTERBECK was documented in the late 1500s. The name also appears in various other regional records from that time period, with slight variations in spelling such as "Düsterbeck" or "Duesterbecke."
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name DUESTERBECK was Johannes DUESTERBECK, a Lutheran theologian and author who was born in Westphalia in 1612. His works included several theological treatises and commentaries on various biblical texts.
During the 18th century, the name DUESTERBECK began to spread beyond the borders of Germany, as some families emigrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Heinrich DUESTERBECK, a German-born farmer who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1750s and established a homestead there.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname DUESTERBECK was Karl DUESTERBECK, a German artist and painter who was born in 1823 in the city of Düsseldorf. His works, primarily landscapes and portraits, were exhibited in various galleries throughout Germany and Europe during his lifetime.
Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich DUESTERBECK, a German engineer and industrialist who lived from 1834 to 1902. He played a key role in the development of the steel industry in the Ruhr region of Germany during the Industrial Revolution.
While the name DUESTERBECK may have originated from a specific geographic location in Germany, it has since spread across the world, with individuals bearing this surname found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duesterbeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Duesterbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Duesterbeck 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 Duesterbeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duesterbeck
Duesterbeck 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+4 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,935 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-22 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,416 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +4 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 4,935 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 20,416 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 Duesterbeck 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 | #128,249 | #148,665 | -15.9% |
| Count | 133 | 111 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duesterbeck bearers went from 133 to 111 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 20,416 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #148,665.
FAQ
Duesterbeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duesterbeck?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Duesterbeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Duesterbeck?
Duesterbeck 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 Duesterbeck. 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 Duesterbeck.
Has Duesterbeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duesterbeck went from 133 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Duesterbeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duesterbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Duesterbeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duesterbeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Duesterbeck (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 Duesterbeck mean?
A German surname referring to someone from a town with that name. 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 Duesterbeck (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 people have the last name Duesterbeck?
See how many people are called Duesterbeck on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.