2000
#8,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Deans
Derived from the Old English "denu," referring to someone who lived in or near a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,453 Americans carry the last name Deans. That puts it at #8,161 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deans 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 Deans with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,972
Census rank
#8,161
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,883 bearers of the surname Deans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8161st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deans, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.4%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deans
Among Census respondents with the surname Deans, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.4%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Deans 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 Deans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.4% · 2,151
- Black or African American36.1% · 1,402
- Two or more races3.7% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deans
Deans 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
#8,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,087
+311 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#8,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,883
-204 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,088 | 3,776 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,113 | 4,087 | 1.39 | +311 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #8,161 | 3,883 | 1.30 | -204 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 48 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 Deans 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 | #8,113 | #8,161 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,087 | 3,883 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.30 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deans bearers went from 4,087 to 3,883 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,113 to #8,161.
FAQ
Deans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deans?
Name Census estimates that about 4,453 living Americans carry the surname Deans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,972 residents.
How common is Deans?
Deans ranks #8,161 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,883 people with the surname Deans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Deans.
Has Deans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deans went from 4,087 recorded bearers to 3,883. That is a decrease of 204 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,113 to #8,161.
What does the Census say about the background of Deans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deans, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.4%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Deans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.4% (2,151 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.4%), Black (36.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Deans (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 Deans mean?
Derived from the Old English "denu," referring to someone 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 Deans (1.30 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 have the last name Deans?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Deans on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.