The community's namesake is William Dittmer, an early postmaster who established a post office called Dittmer's Store in 1870.[3][4] An 1891 railroad map calls the community "Dittmer's Store." It was officially named Dittmer in 1899.[5]
Today, Dittmer is home to the Vianney Renewal Center, a treatment center for Catholic clergy with sexual or other disorders.[6]