2000
#10,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Dearborn
From a place name meaning "deer stream" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,152 Americans carry the last name Dearborn. That puts it at #11,043 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,742 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dearborn 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.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,742
Census rank
#11,043
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,749 bearers of the surname Dearborn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11043rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dearborn
The surname DEARBORN originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning "deer" and "burna" meaning "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a stream frequented by deer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DEARBORN surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1273, where it is listed as "Dereburn." This document was a record of landholders and their possessions during the reign of King Edward I.
The DEARBORN name can also be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where it is spelled "Dereburn." These rolls were tax records used to collect subsidies from the population for military purposes.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, DEARBORN. This is evidenced in the Parish Registers of Staffordshire from 1538, where the name is recorded as "Dearborne."
One notable individual with the DEARBORN surname was Sir George DEARBORN, a British military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1786 and played a significant role in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Another prominent figure was Benjamin DEARBORN, an American revolutionary soldier and statesman. He was born in 1754 and served as the United States Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson from 1801 to 1809.
In the 18th century, Henry DEARBORN, an American soldier and politician, made his mark. He was born in 1751 and served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Later, he became the 5th United States Secretary of War, serving from 1801 to 1809.
During the 19th century, Lewis DEARBORN, an American lawyer and politician, gained recognition. He was born in 1783 and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1823 to 1827.
In more recent history, Richard DEARBORN, an American businessman and philanthropist, left his mark. He was born in 1936 and co-founded the multinational technology company, Xylogics Inc., in 1975.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dearborn
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dearborn 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 Dearborn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,490
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 88
- Two or more races3.1% · 85
- Black or African American2.2% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dearborn
Dearborn 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
#11,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,858
+16 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 714 places
2020
#11,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,749
-109 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,389 | 2,842 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,103 | 2,858 | 0.97 | +16 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 714 places |
| 2020 | #11,043 | 2,749 | 0.92 | -109 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 60 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 Dearborn 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 | #11,103 | #11,043 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,858 | 2,749 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.92 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dearborn bearers went from 2,858 to 2,749 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,103 to #11,043.
FAQ
Dearborn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dearborn?
Name Census estimates that about 3,152 living Americans carry the surname Dearborn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,742 residents.
How common is Dearborn?
Dearborn ranks #11,043 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,749 people with the surname Dearborn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,152), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Dearborn.
Has Dearborn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dearborn went from 2,858 recorded bearers to 2,749. That is a decrease of 109 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,103 to #11,043.
What does the Census say about the background of Dearborn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Dearborn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dearborn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Dearborn (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 Dearborn mean?
From a place name meaning "deer stream" in Old English. 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 Dearborn (0.92 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 are called Dearborn?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Dearborn at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.