The Dressler surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,470 people carried this name — #7,455 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 65,800 people counted. That is up 6% from 4,225 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Dressler surname

An occupational name for a wood turner.

From the occupational name Drechsler (“turner”), in a variant form; from Middle High German dræhseler, drehseler (“turner”) or Middle Low German dreslere, with the same meaning. Given where the name is found, a name of origin from the settlements of Dresel (North Rhine-Westphalia) or Dretzel (Saxony-Anhalt) is ruled out.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (de.wiktionary.org, the German edition) — entry «Dressler», by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · translated from German and condensed.

In Poland’s population register

86 people named Dressler have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 161 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lower Silesian.

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

Where they live today

Lower Silesian 22
Opole 17
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 16
Łódź 12
Silesian 9
Pomeranian 5
Holy Cross 3
Lesser Poland 2

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

In Switzerland’s population statistics

85 people named Dressler live in Switzerland.

They live in 9 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 39
Aargau 14
St. Gallen 10
Neuchâtel 6
Bern 4
Basel-Stadt 3
Lucerne 3
Thurgau 3

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 France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 38 people named Dressler.

13 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 12 départements, most often Haut-Rhin.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 13
Haut-Rhin 6
Bas-Rhin 4
Paris 3
Nord 2
Vaucluse 2
French Guiana 2
Saône-et-Loire 1
Marne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

35 people named Dressler is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 35

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Dressler in American newspapers,
1909–1930.

Newspaper page from Stern Des Westlichen Ohio = Star Of Western Ohio carrying the name Dressler
Stern Des Westlichen Ohio = Star Of Western Ohio 1919-05-29
Newspaper page from La Gaceta carrying the name Dressler
La Gaceta 1930-06-13
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Dressler
The Salt Lake Herald 1909-03-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,151 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dressler in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1980s.

360 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dressler. The most, 218, date from the 1930s. 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 Tasmania, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 88
Victoria 80
Queensland 57
Western Australia 46
South Australia 41
Tasmania 41
ACT (Canberra) 6
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Dressler,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Erich Dressler d. 1999 · luger
  • Heinrich Dressler 1604–1673 · citizen
  • Christian Dressler 1741–1900 · teacher
  • Christiane Amalie Kühnel 1769–1810 · Protestant missionary
  • Rafael Dressler 1784–1831 · composer
  • Raphael Dressler 1784–1835 · composer

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dressler,
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 States928 records

928 records of the Dressler name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 324
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 233
  • Other U.S. records 371
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jerome C. Dreßler

    Born 1921 in Texas. Enlisted 1940 at Houston; painter from Wharton County. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, Houston, Texas.

    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 Martha Dreßler

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Havel from Queenstown, aged 25; servant. From Bremen, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Emmett L. Dreßler

    Born 1938; from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1965 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 928 records for Dressler in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany1,063 records

1,063 records of the Dressler name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 1,059
  • German emigration and citizenship files 3
  • German estate files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Heinrich Dreßler

    Born 1899; from Horn, Bremen. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 2 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 27).

    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 Friedrich Dreßler

    Emigrated to North America in 1856.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Philipp Dressler

    Naturalised in 1900.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,063 records for Dressler 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands44 records

44 records of the Dressler name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 27
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 17
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Margarethe Paula Dressler

    Died 1957 in Arnhem, aged 55; saleswoman.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Max Dressler

    In the population register of Zandvoort; cook, born 1873 in Guben, Germany.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Erika Johanna Dressler

    Married in 1938 in Holborn.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 44 records for Dressler in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia17 records

17 records of the Dressler name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 12
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joseph Dressler

    Grocer of St Kilda East, Victoria; died 1982.

    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 Robert Dreßler

    Arrived in Victoria in 1911 aboard the Zieten, aged 30.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Eberhard Dressler

    Died 1952 in Beaconsfield; inquest held in Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Dressler in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France17 records

17 records of the Dressler 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 Anne Dreßler

    Born 1899 in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (Haut-Rhin); died 1991 in Chezal-Benoît (Cher).

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

    Born 1921 in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines; died 1995 in Colmar (Haut-Rhin).

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

    Born 1905 in Douai (Nord); died 1986 in Capbreton (Landes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Dressler 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).

Canada2 records

2 records of the Dressler name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jan Stefan Dressler

    Died 1951 in at Sea, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Anna Amelia Dressler

    Died 1956; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Dressler name in the United Kingdom St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Dressler

    Buried in 1831 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 78.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 1 of 2 records for Dressler in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Switzerland1 record

1 record of the Dressler name in Switzerland Zürich marriage records, 16th–18th centuries
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Christian Benjamin Dressler

    Married in 1791 in Winterthur, canton of Zürich; of Lauban, Poland.

    Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dressler.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dressler 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 Dressler volume
Scroll to Top