2000
#6,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Dutcher
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of dusters, which are brushes or cloths for dusting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,051 Americans carry the last name Dutcher. That puts it at #6,215 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,644 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dutcher 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
6.1K
1 in 56,644
Census rank
#6,215
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,277 bearers of the surname Dutcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6215th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dutcher
The surname Dutcher is of Dutch origin, and can be traced back to the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "duitscher," meaning "German" or "from Germany." This likely referred to someone who had immigrated to the Netherlands from Germany or a German-speaking region.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dutcher appear in Dutch census and church records from the late 1500s and early 1600s, often spelled as "Duytser" or "Duitser." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who had moved to the Netherlands from German-speaking areas.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hendrick Duitser, born in Amsterdam in 1591. Another notable early figure was Jan Duytser, a merchant who lived in Rotterdam in the mid-17th century.
As the Dutch colonized various parts of the world, including present-day New York (formerly New Amsterdam), the surname Dutcher began to spread. One of the first recorded instances of the name in North America was that of Claes Dutcher, who settled in New Amsterdam (New York) in the 1650s.
In the 18th century, the Dutcher family established itself in various parts of the American colonies, with several members serving in the Revolutionary War. One notable figure was Captain Abraham Dutcher, who fought in the Continental Army and participated in the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
Another prominent bearer of the surname was John Dutcher, a successful businessman and landowner in 19th century New York. He was born in 1804 and owned a large estate in the Hudson Valley region.
In England, the name Dutcher can be traced back to the 17th century, likely brought over by Dutch immigrants or traders. One early English bearer was William Dutcher, who was born in London in 1675.
Throughout its history, the Dutcher surname has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, farmers, soldiers, and business owners. While not a particularly common name, it has maintained a presence in both the Netherlands and the United States for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dutcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Dutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dutcher 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 Dutcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 4,732
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 230
- Two or more races4.3% · 225
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
- Black or African American0.5% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dutcher
Dutcher 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
#6,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,605
+335 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#6,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,277
-328 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,012 | 5,270 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,118 | 5,605 | 1.90 | +335 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #6,215 | 5,277 | 1.77 | -328 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 97 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 Dutcher 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 | #6,118 | #6,215 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,605 | 5,277 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.77 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dutcher bearers went from 5,605 to 5,277 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,118 to #6,215.
FAQ
Dutcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dutcher?
Name Census estimates that about 6,051 living Americans carry the surname Dutcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,644 residents.
How common is Dutcher?
Dutcher ranks #6,215 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.77 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 5,277 people with the surname Dutcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.77 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 Dutcher.
Has Dutcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dutcher went from 5,605 recorded bearers to 5,277. That is a decrease of 328 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,118 to #6,215.
What does the Census say about the background of Dutcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Dutcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (4,732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dutcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Dutcher (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 Dutcher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of dusters, which are brushes or cloths for dusting. 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 Dutcher (1.77 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 common is the surname Dutcher?
Want to know how many people are called Dutcher? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.