2000
#74,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Dettlaff
A German surname derived from a location near Leipzig.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 260 Americans carry the last name Dettlaff. That puts it at #87,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,318,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dettlaff 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
260
1 in 1,318,286
Census rank
#87,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
227
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 227 bearers of the surname Dettlaff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dettlaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dettlaff
The surname DETTLAFF is believed to have originated in the region of Prussia, which is now a part of modern-day Germany and Poland. It is thought to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
One theory suggests that the name DETTLAFF is derived from the Old Prussian language, where "dett" means "to give" and "laff" means "praise" or "honor." This could indicate that the name may have originally been given to someone who was regarded as a generous or praiseworthy individual.
Another possibility is that the name is a combination of the Germanic elements "dett" meaning "people" and "laff" meaning "remnant" or "survivor." This could suggest that the name referred to someone who was part of a remaining or surviving group of people.
The earliest recorded instances of the name DETTLAFF can be found in various historical documents from the region of Prussia. One notable example is a record from the year 1492, which mentions a certain Johann DETTLAFF, a landowner in the town of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia).
In the 16th century, the name appears in the chronicles of the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic military order that played a significant role in the region. A knight by the name of Hartmut DETTLAFF is mentioned as participating in a battle against the Polish forces in 1521.
During the 17th century, the name DETTLAFF can be found in the records of the Prussian nobility. In 1673, a nobleman named Friedrich von DETTLAFF is listed as the owner of a manor in the town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn, Poland).
One of the most notable individuals with the surname DETTLAFF was Carl DETTLAFF, a Prussian architect who lived from 1789 to 1859. He was responsible for designing several important buildings in Berlin, including the Neue Wache (New Guardhouse) and the Charlottenburg Palace.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm DETTLAFF, a German geologist and explorer who lived from 1848 to 1923. He is known for his extensive studies of the Arctic regions and his contributions to the field of glaciology.
In the 20th century, Hans DETTLAFF was a German-born American artist and illustrator (1896-1965) who is particularly known for his work in the field of comic book art.
While the surname DETTLAFF is not as common today as it once was, it can still be found among families with roots in the regions of Prussia and Germany, as well as among descendants of Prussian and German emigrants who settled in other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dettlaff
Among Census respondents with the surname Dettlaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dettlaff 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 Dettlaff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 210
- Two or more races4.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dettlaff
Dettlaff 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
#81,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 232
-8 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 6,501 places
2020
#87,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227
-5 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 6,489 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #74,957 | 240 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #81,458 | 232 | 0.08 | -8 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,501 places |
| 2020 | #87,947 | 227 | 0.08 | -5 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 6,489 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 Dettlaff 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 | #81,458 | #87,947 | -8.0% |
| Count | 232 | 227 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dettlaff bearers went from 232 to 227 (-2.2% change). The surname moved down 6,489 positions in the national ranking, going from #81,458 to #87,947.
FAQ
Dettlaff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dettlaff?
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the surname Dettlaff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,318,286 residents.
How common is Dettlaff?
Dettlaff ranks #87,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 227 people with the surname Dettlaff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Dettlaff.
Has Dettlaff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dettlaff went from 232 recorded bearers to 227. That is a decrease of 5 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #81,458 to #87,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Dettlaff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dettlaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Dettlaff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dettlaff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Dettlaff (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 Dettlaff mean?
A German surname derived from a location near Leipzig. 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 Dettlaff (0.08 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 share the surname Dettlaff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.