Devance
A masculine name derived from the French word "devancer" meaning "to precede" or "to outstrip".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Devance. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Devance today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Devance births was 2022 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Devance. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Devance. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2022
7 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2022 SSA rank
#10,064
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Devance: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Devance from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Devance by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Devance during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Devance
The name Devance has its roots in the ancient French language and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old French word "devancer," which means "to go before" or "to precede." This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon those who were pioneers, leaders, or trailblazers in their respective fields.
In the Middle Ages, the name Devance was particularly popular among the French nobility and aristocracy. One notable figure bearing this name was Devance de Montfort, a renowned knight who fought in the Third Crusade alongside Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Devaunce, Devauncy, and Devancy. In the 15th century, a prominent Italian scholar, Devance Alberti, made significant contributions to the field of architecture and urban planning during the Renaissance period.
During the Age of Exploration, the name found its way to the New World with French explorers and settlers. One such individual was Devance LeSieur, a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer who established trading posts along the Great Lakes region in the late 17th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Devance gained recognition through the works of the French author Devance Dumas, best known for his historical novels "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo," published in the 19th century.
Another notable figure was Devance Curie, a French physicist and chemist who made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of radioactivity alongside her husband, Pierre Curie, in the early 20th century. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains an influential figure in the history of science.
Throughout history, the name Devance has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from exploration and literature to science and the arts. While its popularity may have fluctuated over time, the name continues to hold a sense of distinction and pioneering spirit.
People
Devance + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Devance as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Devance: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Devance?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Devance going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Devance a common name?
We classify Devance as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Devance most popular?
The single biggest year for Devance was 2022, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Devance is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Devance in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Devance a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Devance in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Devance still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Devance in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Devance can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Devance?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.