2000
#4,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,594
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Durr
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German "türe," meaning a doorkeeper or gatekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,378 Americans carry the last name Durr. That puts it at #5,238 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,456 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durr 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Durr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,456
Census rank
#5,238
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,434 bearers of the surname Durr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5238th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durr, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Durr
The surname DURR is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany, during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "durr," meaning "dry" or "arid," which may have been used to describe someone living in a dry or barren area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DURR can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Durr was mentioned as a resident in the year 1437. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
The name DURR also appeared in various other historical documents from the same period, such as the Augsburg Tax Rolls of 1490, which listed several families with this surname living in the city.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the name DURR was Johann Durr, a German Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from 1509 to 1584. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable individual with the surname DURR was Christoph Durr, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1592 to 1647. He is best known for his intricate engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes.
In the 18th century, the name DURR was carried by Johann Jakob Durr, a German philosopher and theologian who was born in 1723 and died in 1786. He was a proponent of the Enlightenment movement and wrote extensively on topics such as natural philosophy and ethics.
Moving forward to the 19th century, one prominent bearer of the surname DURR was Gustav Durr, a German industrialist and entrepreneur who lived from 1832 to 1901. He founded the Durr AG company, which became a leading manufacturer of industrial machinery and equipment.
In more recent times, but still within the historical context, the name DURR was carried by Philipp Durr, a German politician and member of the Bavarian Parliament who lived from 1887 to 1962. He was a staunch advocate for the rights of farmers and rural communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durr
Among Census respondents with the surname Durr, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Durr 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 Durr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.5% · 3,826
- Black or African American32.0% · 2,062
- Two or more races4.8% · 309
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 181
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durr
Durr 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
#5,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,937
+343 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 166 places
2020
#5,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,434
-503 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,891 | 6,594 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,057 | 6,937 | 2.35 | +343 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 166 places |
| 2020 | #5,238 | 6,434 | 2.15 | -503 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 181 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 Durr 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 | #5,057 | #5,238 | -3.6% |
| Count | 6,937 | 6,434 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.35 | 2.15 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durr bearers went from 6,937 to 6,434 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,057 to #5,238.
FAQ
Durr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durr?
Name Census estimates that about 7,378 living Americans carry the surname Durr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,456 residents.
How common is Durr?
Durr ranks #5,238 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,434 people with the surname Durr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Durr.
Has Durr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durr went from 6,937 recorded bearers to 6,434. That is a decrease of 503 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,057 to #5,238.
What does the Census say about the background of Durr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durr, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Durr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.5% (3,826 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.5%), Black (32.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Durr (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 Durr mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German "türe," meaning a doorkeeper or gatekeeper. 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 Durr (2.15 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 are called Durr?
See how many people are called Durr on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.