2000
#68,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Drea
A surname potentially derived from an occupational name related to weaving or cloth-making.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 263 Americans carry the last name Drea. That puts it at #87,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,303,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drea 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
263
1 in 1,303,248
Census rank
#87,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
229
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 229 bearers of the surname Drea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drea, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drea
The surname DREA originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Calabria and Sicily. Its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Greek word "drea," which means "oak tree."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DREA surname can be found in a document from the year 1219, which mentions a landowner named Giovan Battista DREA in the town of Reggio Calabria. This suggests that the name was already established in the area during that time.
In the 14th century, a family by the name of DREA was mentioned in the records of the city of Palermo, Sicily. They were involved in the silk trade and were considered among the prominent merchant families of the region.
The DREA surname also appears in historical records related to the Spanish Inquisition in the 16th century. A notable figure was Antonio DREA, who was born in Messina, Sicily, in 1523. He was accused of heresy but managed to escape persecution by fleeing to France.
In the 17th century, a branch of the DREA family settled in the town of Brindisi, in the Apulia region of Italy. One of the notable members of this branch was Domenico DREA, a renowned philosopher and theologian who lived from 1648 to 1712.
Moving into the 18th century, the DREA surname gained prominence in the field of arts and literature. Giuseppe DREA, born in Naples in 1731, was a celebrated painter known for his religious works and portraits. Another noteworthy figure was Vincenzo DREA, a playwright and poet from Palermo, who lived between 1768 and 1842.
In the 19th century, the DREA surname crossed the Atlantic and found its way to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Giancarlo DREA, an Italian immigrant who settled in New York City in 1857. He established a successful business importing olive oil and wine from his homeland.
Another prominent figure from this period was Maria DREA, a renowned opera singer born in Milan in 1832. She performed in some of the most prestigious theaters across Europe and was known for her powerful soprano voice.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drea
Among Census respondents with the surname Drea, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Drea 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 Drea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 212
- Two or more races3.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drea
Drea 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
#70,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 279
+13 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 1,235 places
2020
#87,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229
-50 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 17,104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,973 | 266 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #70,208 | 279 | 0.09 | +13 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 1,235 places |
| 2020 | #87,312 | 229 | 0.08 | -50 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 17,104 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 Drea 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 | #70,208 | #87,312 | -24.4% |
| Count | 279 | 229 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drea bearers went from 279 to 229 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 17,104 positions in the national ranking, going from #70,208 to #87,312.
FAQ
Drea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drea?
Name Census estimates that about 263 living Americans carry the surname Drea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,303,248 residents.
How common is Drea?
Drea ranks #87,312 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 229 people with the surname Drea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (263), 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 Drea.
Has Drea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drea went from 279 recorded bearers to 229. That is a decrease of 50 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #70,208 to #87,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Drea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drea, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Drea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Drea (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 Drea mean?
A surname potentially derived from an occupational name related to weaving or cloth-making. 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 Drea (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 have the surname Drea?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.