2000
#5,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.28
Rare Last name
Deane
From an English surname derived from Old English "denu," referring to a person who lived in or near a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,652 Americans carry the last name Deane. That puts it at #5,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deane 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 Deane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,527
Census rank
#5,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,801 bearers of the surname Deane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deane, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deane
The surname Deane originated from the Old English word "denu" which meant a valley or hollow. It was initially used as a topographic name to describe someone who lived near a valley or dell. The name has its roots in England and was prevalent in areas such as Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Dena" in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name had already been established by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "de la Dene" in Huntingdonshire and "atte Dene" in Sussex. These variations illustrate the influence of French and Middle English on the name's spelling over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Deane include Richard Deane (c. 1610-1653), a major-general in the English Civil War who served under Oliver Cromwell. Another prominent figure was Silas Deane (1737-1789), a merchant and politician who served as a diplomat for the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War.
Edmund Deane (1572-1634) was an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects. His work "Spadacrene Anglica" published in 1626 was an important treatise on English mineral waters.
In the literary world, Henry Deane (1807-1884) was an English novelist and playwright known for his works such as "The Young Huguenot" and "The Daughter of the Isles."
Lastly, Joseph Deane (1801-1858) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Michael in Cornhill and the Church of St. James in Ratcliff.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deane
Among Census respondents with the surname Deane, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Deane 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 Deane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 4,595
- Black or African American10.6% · 614
- Two or more races4.4% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 189
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deane
Deane 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
#5,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,454
+311 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 170 places
2020
#5,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,801
-653 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 364 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,223 | 6,143 | 2.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,393 | 6,454 | 2.19 | +311 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 170 places |
| 2020 | #5,757 | 5,801 | 1.94 | -653 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 364 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 Deane 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 | #5,393 | #5,757 | -6.7% |
| Count | 6,454 | 5,801 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 1.94 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deane bearers went from 6,454 to 5,801 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 364 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,393 to #5,757.
FAQ
Deane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deane?
Name Census estimates that about 6,652 living Americans carry the surname Deane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,527 residents.
How common is Deane?
Deane ranks #5,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,801 people with the surname Deane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,652), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Deane.
Has Deane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deane went from 6,454 recorded bearers to 5,801. That is a decrease of 653 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,393 to #5,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Deane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deane, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Deane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (4,595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Deane (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 Deane mean?
From an English surname derived from Old English "denu," referring to a person who lived in or near a valley. 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 Deane (1.94 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 common is the surname Deane?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Deane on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.