2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Duesterhoeft
A German surname derived from "düster" (gloomy) and "Hof" (farm or courtyard), likely referring to one's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Duesterhoeft. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duesterhoeft 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Duesterhoeft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duesterhoeft, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duesterhoeft
The surname DUESTERHOEFT has its origins in Germany, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "duester" and "hoeft," which together mean "dark farmstead" or "gloomy courtyard."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DUESTERHOEFT can be found in the Bremische Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the year 1342. In this record, a person named "Hinrich Duesterhoeft" is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the DUESTERHOEFT name appeared in various church records and local registries across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Bremen. Some variations in spelling were common during this time, such as "Dusterhoeft," "Düsterhoeft," and "Düsterhoeven."
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the DUESTERHOEFT name was Johann Friedrich Duesterhoeft (1718-1786), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. His writings on metaphysics and natural theology were influential during the Age of Enlightenment.
Another individual of historical significance was Wilhelm Duesterhoeft (1832-1901), a German-American civil engineer and architect. He played a significant role in the construction of several bridges and public buildings in the United States, including the Prospect Park Boathouse in Brooklyn, New York.
In the 19th century, the DUESTERHOEFT name was also found in various parts of Germany, with some members of the family residing in cities such as Hamburg and Berlin. One notable figure from this period was Carl Duesterhoeft (1867-1942), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Duesterhoeft Maschinenfabrik, a company specializing in the production of agricultural machinery.
Towards the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, some members of the DUESTERHOEFT family migrated to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One notable individual from this era was Heinrich Duesterhoeft (1876-1956), a German-American architect who designed several buildings in the Chicago area, including the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Throughout its history, the DUESTERHOEFT surname has been associated with various occupations, from landowners and farmers in its early days to philosophers, engineers, architects, and industrialists in more recent times. While the name has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duesterhoeft
Among Census respondents with the surname Duesterhoeft, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Duesterhoeft 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 Duesterhoeft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 98
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duesterhoeft
Duesterhoeft 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,882 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-16 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,882 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 11,864 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 Duesterhoeft 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 | #144,141 | #156,005 | -8.2% |
| Count | 115 | 99 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duesterhoeft bearers went from 115 to 99 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 11,864 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,005.
FAQ
Duesterhoeft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duesterhoeft?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Duesterhoeft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Duesterhoeft?
Duesterhoeft ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Duesterhoeft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Duesterhoeft.
Has Duesterhoeft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duesterhoeft went from 115 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Duesterhoeft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duesterhoeft, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (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 Duesterhoeft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duesterhoeft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (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 Duesterhoeft (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 Duesterhoeft mean?
A German surname derived from "düster" (gloomy) and "Hof" (farm or courtyard), likely referring to one's residence. 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 Duesterhoeft (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 Duesterhoeft?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.