2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Treffert
A surname likely derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Treffert. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Treffert 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Treffert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Treffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Treffert
The surname Treffert is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "treffen," meaning "to meet" or "to gather," suggesting that the name may have been associated with someone who lived near a gathering place or meeting point.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the town records of Cologne, Germany, where a certain Johannes Treffert is mentioned as a resident in the year 1583. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and census documents across different parts of Germany, indicating its spread throughout the country. For instance, a record from 1624 in the town of Wiesbaden mentions a Wilhelm Treffert, who was a merchant and landowner.
As the centuries progressed, the Treffert name continued to be found in various regions of Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as Trefert or Treffert. In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing this name was Johann Treffert (1718-1792), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Nuremberg, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility of the time.
In the 19th century, the Treffert surname made its way to other parts of Europe, with some individuals emigrating to countries like the United States and Canada. One such example is Heinrich Treffert (1842-1918), a German-born entrepreneur who settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and established a successful brewery.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Karl Treffert (1875-1943), a German architect who was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Berlin, including the renowned Kroll Opera House, which unfortunately was heavily damaged during World War II.
Throughout history, the Treffert surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, merchants, scholars, and professionals, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and societal development in their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Treffert
Among Census respondents with the surname Treffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Treffert 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 Treffert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 10
- Two or more races1.6% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Treffert
Treffert 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,112 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,624 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,112 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,624 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 Treffert 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 | #143,149 | #140,525 | 1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 122 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Treffert bearers went from 116 to 122 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,624 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #140,525.
FAQ
Treffert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Treffert?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Treffert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Treffert?
Treffert ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Treffert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Treffert.
Has Treffert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Treffert went from 116 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Treffert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Treffert, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Treffert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Treffert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (8.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Treffert (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 Treffert mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name or location. 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 Treffert (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 Americans have the surname Treffert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.