2000
#9,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,232
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Drexler
A German occupational surname referring to a turner or lathe operator, derived from the German word "drechsler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,577 Americans carry the last name Drexler. That puts it at #9,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drexler 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
3.6K
1 in 95,822
Census rank
#9,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,119 bearers of the surname Drexler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drexler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drexler
The surname Drexler originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in areas such as Bavaria and Austria. It is derived from the German word "Drexler," which referred to a turner or lathe worker who crafted objects from wood or other materials using a lathe.
The name Drexler can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with some of the earliest recorded instances appearing in medieval German documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. While the name did not appear in the famous Domesday Book, as it was specific to the German-speaking regions, it was documented in various local records and manuscripts from that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Drexler was Johannes Drexler, a turner and woodworker who lived in the town of Nuremberg, Germany, in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Matthias Drexler, a German Lutheran theologian and writer who lived from 1638 to 1701 and authored several religious texts.
In the 18th century, a prominent Drexler was Johann Christoph Drexler, a German painter and engraver who was born in Nuremberg in 1723 and became known for his intricate copperplate engravings and portraits. Around the same time, Johann Georg Drexler (1732-1784) was a renowned German architect and designer who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in Bavaria.
Moving into the 19th century, Karl Drexler (1818-1880) was a German historian and author who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Bavaria. He is particularly remembered for his work on the history of the city of Munich.
As the surname Drexler spread across German-speaking regions and beyond, it was sometimes adapted to different spellings or variants based on local dialects and pronunciations. Some of these variations included Drexeler, Drexler, and Drechsler, among others. Additionally, the name became associated with certain place names, such as Drexlertown, a small community in Pennsylvania, United States, which was likely named after an early German settler with the Drexler surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drexler
Among Census respondents with the surname Drexler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Drexler 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 Drexler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 2,773
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 140
- Black or African American3.8% · 118
- Two or more races2.1% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drexler
Drexler 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
#9,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,235
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 699 places
2020
#9,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,119
-116 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,270 | 3,232 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,969 | 3,235 | 1.10 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 699 places |
| 2020 | #9,883 | 3,119 | 1.04 | -116 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 86 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 Drexler 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 | #9,969 | #9,883 | 0.9% |
| Count | 3,235 | 3,119 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.04 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drexler bearers went from 3,235 to 3,119 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,969 to #9,883.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Drexler
FAQ
Drexler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drexler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,577 living Americans carry the surname Drexler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,822 residents.
How common is Drexler?
Drexler ranks #9,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,119 people with the surname Drexler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,577), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Drexler.
Has Drexler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drexler went from 3,235 recorded bearers to 3,119. That is a decrease of 116 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,969 to #9,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Drexler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drexler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Drexler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drexler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (4.5%), Black (3.8%). 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 Drexler (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 Drexler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a turner or lathe operator, derived from the German word "drechsler." 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 Drexler (1.04 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 people have the surname Drexler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.