The Dirks surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,534 people carried this name — #7,350 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 64,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 4,374 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Dirks surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From Dirk + -s (“patronymic suffix”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dirks» (Dutch), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 77 people named Dirks live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Limburg.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Limburg 49
Antwerp 23
West Flanders 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

32 people named Dirks live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 9
St. Gallen 8
Ticino 6
Bern 5
Schaffhausen 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Poland’s population register

20 people named Dirks have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 35 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Silesian 13
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 3
Lower Silesian 2
Subcarpathian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In print

Dirks in American newspapers,
1854–1907.

Newspaper page from Weekly North Carolina Standard carrying the name Dirks
Weekly North Carolina Standard 1854-02-22
Newspaper page from The Memphis Appeal carrying the name Dirks
The Memphis Appeal 1888-04-15
Newspaper page from Der Sonntagsbote carrying the name Dirks
Der Sonntagsbote 1907-06-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 120,620 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dirks in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1970s.

434 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dirks. The most, 93, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 176
Victoria 85
South Australia 70
Queensland 57
Western Australia 25
Tasmania 17
ACT (Canberra) 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dirks.

Who carried it

People named Dirks,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Justus Dirks
    Justus Dirks 1825–1886 · engineer
  • Andreas Dirks
    Andreas Dirks 1865–1922 · artist
  • Johann Friedrich Dirks
    Johann Friedrich Dirks 1874–1949 · writer
  • Rudolph Dirks
    Rudolph Dirks 1877–1968 · artist
  • Gus Dirks
    Gus Dirks 1881–1902 · illustrator

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Andreas Dirks: Sylt-Tinto, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 52 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dirks,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States600 records

600 records of the Dirks name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 396
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 76
  • Other U.S. records 128
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John L. Dirks

    Born 1912 in California. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco; shipping clerk from Alameda County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1954, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Emma Dirks

    Arrived at New York in 1893 aboard the Rhynland from Antwerp, aged 26; nurse. From Gottingen, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Edward Dirks

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1881, died 1961; buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 600 records for Dirks in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Netherlands14,773 records

14,773 records of the Dirks name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6,806
  • Dutch population registers 4,532
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3,435
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alida Dirks

    Married in 1838 in Haarlem; domestic servant. Died 1849 in Bloemendaal, aged 35.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Nicolaas Dirks

    Married in 1877 in Susteren; farmer, born 1841 in Susteren. Died 1882 in Susteren, aged 41.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Dirk Pieters Dirks

    Married in 1846 in Ferwerderadeel; labourer. Died 1873 in Ferwerderadeel, aged 54.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14,773 records for Dirks in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany457 records

457 records of the Dirks name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 456
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Weert Dirks

    Born 1890; from Westerende. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 3 April 1919 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 15).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Eva Dirks

    Emigrated to Russia in 1835.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Friedrich Dirks

    Born 1888; from Hurrel. Listed as returned from captivity in the Prussian casualty list of 2 December 1918 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 260).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 457 records for Dirks in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Dirks name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Other Canadian records 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Karin Dirks

    Died 1994, aged 66; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Marie Dirks

    Buried in 1957 at Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario.

    Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record William Mervin Dirks

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 9 records for Dirks in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia9 records

9 records of the Dirks name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margarethe Dirks

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Oscar Vidal, aged 35.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rua Dirks

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Magdalena, aged 18.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Metta Dirks

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Oscar Vidal, aged 1.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Dirks in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France6 records

6 records of the Dirks name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Dirks

    Born 1900 in Volkrange; died 1981 in Rettel (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Augustine Dirks

    Born 1913 in Volkrange; died 1987 in Thionville (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Catharina Henrika Dirks

    Born 1923 in the Netherlands; died 1991 in Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Dirks in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium4 records

4 records of the Dirks name in Belgium
  • Belgian church registers before 1811 3
  • Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Cornelis Dirks

    Died 1828 in Lommel; born 1759; day labourer.

    Open Archives, Stad Lommel - Archiefdienst (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Martinus Dirks

    Married in 1765 in Lommel; born in Reusel.

    Open Archives, Stad Lommel - Archiefdienst (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Peternel Dirks

    Buried in 1788 in Lommel.

    Open Archives, Stad Lommel - Archiefdienst (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Dirks in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Norway2 records

2 records of the Dirks name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Julie Dirks

    Census of 1910: Fæstningsgate, Trondhjem; "pangsionist", born 1850 in Trondhjem.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Agtun Wulfsberg Dirks

    Census of 1910: Aunet (gaard), Frosta; born 1843 in Trondhjem.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dirks.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dirks is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Dirks volume
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