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

Deans, 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 Deans surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Deans in America

Deans is the 8113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Deans surname appeared 4,087 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 Deans.

We can also compare 2010 data for Deans 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 Deans

The surname DEANS is of English origin, derived from the Anglo-Norman French occupation word "deyn," meaning a dean or a dignitary of a church. The name likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century and was initially given to those who held the position of a dean in a cathedral or monastic church.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310, where it appears as "Ralph le Deen." The surname also appears in various forms in medieval records, such as "le Dene," "le Deen," and "le Deyn." These variations reflect the evolution of spelling conventions over time.

The DEANS surname is closely associated with several notable individuals throughout history. John Deans (c. 1570-1625) was an English clergyman and poet who served as the Archdeacon of Cauterbury. Another prominent figure was Henry Deans (1696-1782), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Glasgow.

William Deans (1770-1834) was a Scottish landscape painter known for his picturesque depictions of Scottish scenery. His works were highly influential in the development of the Scottish landscape painting tradition. Thomas Deans (1856-1935) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and represented the English national team.

In the literary world, Mary Deans (1888-1977) was an English author and illustrator best known for her children's books. She wrote and illustrated several popular works, including "The Little Wooden Doll" and "The Story of the Little White Teddy Bear."

While the DEANS surname is of English origin, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and various historical events. However, its roots can be traced back to the influential role of deans in the medieval church and the occupation-based naming traditions of that era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Deans

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

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 Deans 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 Deans 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 Deans was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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