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

Dearing, 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 Dearing surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dearing in America

Dearing is the 5942nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dearing surname appeared 5,794 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Dearing.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dearing 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 Dearing

The surname Dearing has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dere," which means "deer," and was likely an occupational name for a hunter or someone who worked with deer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dearing can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Robert Deringg is mentioned. This suggests that variations of the spelling, such as Deringg or Dering, were common in the early days.

The name Dearing may also have been influenced by place names, particularly the village of Deringhall in Kent, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. This may indicate that some individuals bearing the name Dearing were once residents or landowners in this area.

In the 14th century, records show individuals named John Dering and Thomas Dering living in Kent, suggesting that the name had spread and taken root in that region by that time.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the surname Dearing. One of the most prominent was Sir Edward Dering (1598-1644), an English politician and member of Parliament who played a significant role in the English Civil War. Another notable figure was John Dearing (1759-1837), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

Other historical figures with the surname Dearing include Richard Dearing (1670-1738), an English clergyman and author, and James Dearing (1840-1865), a Confederate cavalry officer during the American Civil War who was killed in action at the Battle of High Bridge.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Dearing also appeared in various records and documents in Ireland, suggesting that some individuals with this surname may have migrated from England to Ireland during that time period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dearing

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

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

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

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