2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dumstorff
A place name referring to someone from the village of Dumstorff in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Dumstorff. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dumstorff 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Dumstorff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dumstorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dumstorff
The surname Dumstorff originated in Germany during the medieval period, likely stemming from a place name or a descriptive nickname. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "dumb" (meaning silent or mute) and "dorf" (meaning village or small settlement), potentially indicating a connection to a quiet or secluded hamlet.
In the 13th century, records show a person named Conradus de Dumstorff, suggesting the name's presence in historical documents from that era. However, no definitive evidence links this individual to the modern Dumstorff surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Hans Dumstorff, a merchant from Hamburg who lived in the late 15th century. His trade activities are documented in the city's archives, providing insight into the commercial life of that period.
During the 16th century, the Dumstorff name appears in various town records across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. One notable figure from this time was Bartholomäus Dumstorff (1510-1578), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who served as a pastor in Rostock.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Dumstorff family settled in the city of Stralsund, where they became influential merchants and civic leaders. Johann Dumstorff (1628-1692) was a prominent figure in this lineage, serving as a city councilor and magistrate.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Dumstorff (1788-1867), a German architect and urban planner who contributed significantly to the development of Berlin's cityscape in the 19th century. His most notable works include the Neue Wache and the Alte Nationalgalerie.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Dumstorff surname also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, as individuals migrated and sought new opportunities. However, the name remains most closely associated with its German origins and historical presence in northern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dumstorff
Among Census respondents with the surname Dumstorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Dumstorff 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 Dumstorff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dumstorff
Dumstorff appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Dumstorff 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 | #140,157 | #145,757 | -4.0% |
| Count | 119 | 115 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dumstorff bearers went from 119 to 115 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,757.
FAQ
Dumstorff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dumstorff?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Dumstorff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Dumstorff?
Dumstorff ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Dumstorff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Dumstorff.
Has Dumstorff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dumstorff went from 119 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Dumstorff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dumstorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Dumstorff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dumstorff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Dumstorff (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 Dumstorff mean?
A place name referring to someone from the village of Dumstorff in Germany. 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 Dumstorff (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 surname Dumstorff?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.