Find out how popular the last name Deacon is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Deacon.

Deacon, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Deacon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Deacon in America

Deacon is the 9756th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Deacon surname appeared 3,322 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Deacon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Deacon to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Deacon

The surname Deacon has its origins primarily in England, where it first arose in the late 12th century. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English "deacon," meaning a deacon or minister of the Christian church. The name would have been given to those who served in this religious role.

In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled "Deakyn" or "Deken." It comes from the Greek word "diakonos," meaning a servant or minister. This was adopted into Late Latin as "diaconus" and then into Old English as "deacon." Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include Walter le Deken in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1191, and Hugo le Deken in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1210.

The Deacon surname can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a Walter le Dekene in Oxfordshire. It also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, with a John le Dekene listed as a taxpayer. These early records demonstrate the name's widespread use across different regions of England during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Thomas Deacon, who was born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, around 1300. Another notable early figure was John Deacon, a 14th-century English cleric and theologian born in the village of Deacon's Green in Buckinghamshire.

In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the likes of Thomas Deacon (1528-1607), an English clergyman and academic who served as the headmaster of Merchant Taylors' School in London. Another significant individual was John Deacon (1608-1662), an English vicar and writer who published several religious works.

As the name spread across England, it also took on various locational variations, such as Deakin, Deakyn, and Deaking, derived from place names like Deacon's Green and Deacon Hill. Additionally, the surname appeared in Scotland, where it was sometimes rendered as Deakin or Dickon.

Throughout history, the Deacon surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:

1. Thomas Deacon (1697-1753), an English non-conformist minister and theologian.
2. James Deacon (1737-1783), an English engraver and portrait painter.
3. William Deacon (1799-1845), an English civil engineer and pioneer in the construction of early railways.
4. Sir Thomas Deacon (1854-1941), an Australian businessman and philanthropist.
5. Arthur Deacon (1880-1959), an English cricketer who played for Warwickshire and England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Deacon

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Deacon.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Deacon was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Deacon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Deacon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Deacon, please contact us.

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