2000
#102,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Damaske
From the French word meaning "damask", a surname for someone from Damascus, Syria or a weaver of damask cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 202 Americans carry the last name Damaske. That puts it at #107,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,696,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Damaske 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
202
1 in 1,696,804
Census rank
#107,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
176
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 176 bearers of the surname Damaske in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Damaske, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Damaske
The surname DAMASKE has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Central Europe. It is believed to have derived from the old German word "damaschke," which referred to a type of damask fabric or linen that was commonly produced in the region.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name DAMASKE can be found in the "Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon" (German Family Names Lexicon), which dates back to the 14th century. This historical record suggests that individuals involved in the production or trade of damask fabrics may have adopted the name as a reference to their occupation.
In the 15th century, the DAMASKE surname appeared in various town records and municipal documents across German-speaking regions, particularly in areas known for textile manufacturing, such as Saxony and Silesia. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johannes DAMASKE, a weaver from Görlitz (born circa 1420), and Anna DAMASKE, a merchant recorded in Zittau in 1487.
As the centuries progressed, the DAMASKE name spread across Central and Eastern Europe, with variations in spelling emerging due to regional dialects and language influences. In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Martin DAMASKE (1525-1597) was a renowned theologian and Protestant reformer from Wrocław, Silesia (now part of Poland).
During the 17th century, the DAMASKE surname gained further recognition with the accomplishments of Christian DAMASKE (1638-1711), a German composer and organist from Saxony. His contributions to sacred music and organ compositions were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
Another notable figure from this era was Johann DAMASKE (1670-1745), a German cartographer and engraver who created intricate maps and illustrations of various regions, some of which are still preserved in historical archives today.
As the centuries progressed, the DAMASKE name continued to be represented by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, artists, and tradespeople. While the exact origins of the name may remain shrouded in the mists of time, its connection to the rich textile heritage of Central Europe has endured as a testament to the cultural and linguistic diversity of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Damaske
Among Census respondents with the surname Damaske, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Damaske 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 Damaske surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 167
- Two or more races4.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Damaske
Damaske 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
#103,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+11 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 1,008 places
2020
#107,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
+2 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,173 | 163 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #103,181 | 174 | 0.06 | +11 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 1,008 places |
| 2020 | #107,521 | 176 | 0.06 | +2 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 4,340 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 Damaske 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 | #103,181 | #107,521 | -4.2% |
| Count | 174 | 176 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Damaske bearers went from 174 to 176 (+1.1% change). The surname moved down 4,340 positions in the national ranking, going from #103,181 to #107,521.
FAQ
Damaske surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Damaske?
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the surname Damaske. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,696,804 residents.
How common is Damaske?
Damaske ranks #107,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 176 people with the surname Damaske. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Damaske.
Has Damaske become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Damaske went from 174 recorded bearers to 176. That is an increase of 2 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #103,181 to #107,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Damaske?
Among Census respondents with the surname Damaske, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Damaske in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (167 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Damaske appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Damaske (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 Damaske mean?
From the French word meaning "damask", a surname for someone from Damascus, Syria or a weaver of damask cloth. 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 Damaske (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Damaske?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.