2000
#90,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Darren
A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "deor" meaning "deer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 188 Americans carry the last name Darren. That puts it at #113,565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,823,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Darren 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 Darren with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
188
1 in 1,823,161
Census rank
#113,565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
164
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 164 bearers of the surname Darren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Darren, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Darren
The surname DARREN is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer," and the suffix "-ing," denoting a place or group of people. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near a deer park or were associated with hunting or tending to deer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Deringhe," referring to a settlement in Buckinghamshire. This place name likely evolved into various spellings, such as Deringes, Deringe, and eventually, DARREN.
During the 13th century, the name DARREN gained prominence in the county of Somerset, where it is believed to have originated. Records from this period mention individuals like William de Derynges (born circa 1250) and John Derynges (born circa 1275), who held lands in the region.
In the 14th century, the DARREN surname spread to other parts of England, including Devon and Gloucestershire. Notable figures from this era include Sir Richard Darren (1320-1392), a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War, and Alice Darren (born circa 1350), a landholder in Somerset.
By the 16th century, the spelling of the name had largely stabilized to its modern form, DARREN. During this period, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. One prominent individual was William DARREN (1515-1589), a merchant and landowner in Somerset who served as a magistrate.
In the 17th century, the DARREN surname continued to spread across England, with pockets of concentration in the southern and western regions. Notable bearers of the name from this era include Captain John DARREN (1620-1678), a naval officer who served in the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and Elizabeth DARREN (born circa 1650), a wealthy landowner in Devon.
Throughout its history, the surname DARREN has been associated with various professions, including landowners, merchants, soldiers, and civil servants. While not as widespread as some other English surnames, it has maintained a consistent presence in various regions of England over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darren
Among Census respondents with the surname Darren, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Darren 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 Darren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.5% · 91
- Black or African American28.7% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Darren
Darren 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-61 bearers (-32.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 41,127 places
2020
#113,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
+35 bearers (+27.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 17,814 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #90,252 | 190 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -61 bearers (-32.1%) | Down 41,127 places |
| 2020 | #113,565 | 164 | 0.05 | +35 bearers (+27.1%) | Up 17,814 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 Darren 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 | #131,379 | #113,565 | 13.6% |
| Count | 129 | 164 | 27.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 37.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Darren bearers went from 129 to 164 (+27.1% change). The surname moved up 17,814 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #113,565.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Darren
FAQ
Darren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Darren?
Name Census estimates that about 188 living Americans carry the surname Darren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,823,161 residents.
How common is Darren?
Darren ranks #113,565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 164 people with the surname Darren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (188), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Darren.
Has Darren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Darren went from 129 recorded bearers to 164. That is an increase of 35 (+27.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #131,379 to #113,565.
What does the Census say about the background of Darren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Darren, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Darren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.5% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Darren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.5%), Black (28.7%), Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Darren (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 Darren mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "deor" meaning "deer". 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 Darren (0.05 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 people share the surname Darren?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.