Find out how popular the last name Durst is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Durst.

Durst, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Durst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Durst in America

Durst is the 5780th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Durst surname appeared 5,995 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Durst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Durst to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Durst

The surname Durst is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "durst" meaning "thirst." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name or a nickname for someone who was known for drinking a lot or having a propensity for being thirsty.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Durst can be traced back to the late 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hermann Durst, mentioned in records from the town of Rottweil in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, dated around 1290.

During the medieval period, the surname Durst appeared in various spellings, such as Durste, Durstig, and Durstel, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. Some of these variations may have originated from place names or locations where the name was particularly prevalent.

Historical records show that the Durst family had a presence in several German cities and towns. For instance, the Durst family was recorded in the city of Nuremberg in the 15th century, with Johannes Durst being mentioned in a document dated 1462.

Notable individuals with the surname Durst throughout history include:

1. Johann Konrad Durst (1675-1732), a German lawyer and legal scholar from Nuremberg.
2. Johann Baptist Durst (1770-1853), a German Catholic theologian and professor from Bamberg.
3. Friedrich Durst (1789-1876), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and city views.
4. Gustav Durst (1876-1957), a German engineer and inventor who developed the Durst enlarger for photography.
5. Josef Durst (1876-1961), an Austrian politician and member of the Christian Social Party.

The surname Durst continues to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in other German-speaking regions of Europe and among descendants of German immigrants worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Durst

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Durst.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Durst was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Durst has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Durst was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Durst, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!