2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Damerell
A variant anglicized spelling of the French locational surname Dumareill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Damerell. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Damerell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Damerell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Damerell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Damerell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Damerell
The surname Damerell is of English origin, originating in the county of Devon during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "dæmere" meaning "judge" or "arbiter" and "hyll" meaning "hill," suggesting the name may have referred to someone who lived near or owned land on a hill where a judge or local official resided.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Damerell appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Dameral" in reference to a landowner in Devon. This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time, as it was adapted to the local dialects and pronunciations of the region.
In the 13th century, the name is documented in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled "Damerell." This indicates the surname had become firmly established by this point in time.
One notable early bearer of the Damerell name was Sir John Damerell (1265-1333), a knight and landowner from Devon who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Edward I.
During the 16th century, the Damerell family held significant landholdings in Devon, with members such as Richard Damerell (1510-1578) and his son William Damerell (1545-1620) being prominent figures in the local gentry.
In the 17th century, the name appears in connection with the town of Barnstaple in Devon, where a family of Damerells owned the manor of Watermouth. One member, John Damerell (1628-1692), served as the Mayor of Barnstaple in 1673.
Moving into the 18th century, the Damerell name gained further recognition with the writer and clergyman Richard Damerell (1704-1776), who was the author of several religious works and served as the Rector of Leinslade in Buckinghamshire.
In the 19th century, another notable bearer of the Damerell name was Sir Charles Damerell (1810-1891), a British army officer who served in the Crimean War and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in recognition of his military service.
Throughout its history, the surname Damerell has maintained strong ties to its Devon roots, with many bearers of the name continuing to reside in the county and surrounding areas of the West Country region of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Damerell
Among Census respondents with the surname Damerell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Damerell 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 Damerell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Damerell
Damerell 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,383 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,371 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 1,383 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,371 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 Damerell 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 | #141,140 | #143,511 | -1.7% |
| Count | 118 | 118 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Damerell bearers went from 118 to 118 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,371 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #143,511.
FAQ
Damerell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Damerell?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Damerell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Damerell?
Damerell ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Damerell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Damerell.
Has Damerell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Damerell went from 118 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Damerell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Damerell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Damerell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Damerell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Damerell (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 Damerell mean?
A variant anglicized spelling of the French locational surname Dumareill. 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 Damerell (0.04 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 Damerell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.