2000
#15,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Dearmas
A surname of Spanish origin, derived from the phrase "de Armas," meaning "of weapons" or "of arms."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,870 Americans carry the last name Dearmas. That puts it at #11,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,427 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dearmas 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
2.9K
1 in 119,427
Census rank
#11,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,503 bearers of the surname Dearmas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearmas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dearmas
The surname DEARMAS has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Galicia. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "armas," which means "arms" or "weapons," possibly indicating that the earliest bearers of this name were soldiers, knights, or individuals involved in military activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DEARMAS surname can be found in the Tumbo Negro de Santiago, a medieval cartulary from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the name appears as "De Armas" in the late 13th century. This suggests that the name may have originated in the vicinity of Santiago de Compostela, a significant pilgrimage site during that era.
In the 14th century, the DEARMAS surname was documented in various legal and administrative records from the kingdoms of León and Castile. Some notable individuals from this period include Pedro De Armas, a nobleman and landowner from the town of Benavente, who lived in the late 14th century, and Rodrigo De Armas, a soldier who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the 15th century under the Spanish Crown.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the DEARMAS surname spread across Spain and its territories, including the Americas. One prominent figure from this period was Juan de Armas y Dorantes, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico and later became a settler in the region.
In the 18th century, the DEARMAS surname appeared in various genealogical records and historical documents from Spain and its overseas territories. One notable individual was Francisco de Armas, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish colonies of Florida and Louisiana in the late 18th century.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the DEARMAS surname travelled to different parts of the world, including Latin America, where it remains a relatively common surname today. In the 19th century, José María de Armas, a Venezuelan military leader and politician, played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from Spain.
Throughout its history, the DEARMAS surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as De Armas, Dearmas, and Dearmes, among others. While the exact origins of the name may remain uncertain, its association with military and noble origins has been a consistent theme across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dearmas
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearmas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dearmas 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 Dearmas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.5% · 2,215
- White7.5% · 187
- Black or African American2.5% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- Two or more races0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dearmas
Dearmas 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
#13,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,360
+606 bearers (+34.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 2,357 places
2020
#11,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,503
+143 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 1,065 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,364 | 1,754 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,007 | 2,360 | 0.80 | +606 bearers (+34.5%) | Up 2,357 places |
| 2020 | #11,942 | 2,503 | 0.84 | +143 bearers (+6.1%) | Up 1,065 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 Dearmas 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 | #13,007 | #11,942 | 8.2% |
| Count | 2,360 | 2,503 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.84 | 4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dearmas bearers went from 2,360 to 2,503 (+6.1% change). The surname moved up 1,065 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,007 to #11,942.
FAQ
Dearmas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dearmas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,870 living Americans carry the surname Dearmas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,427 residents.
How common is Dearmas?
Dearmas ranks #11,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,503 people with the surname Dearmas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Dearmas.
Has Dearmas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dearmas went from 2,360 recorded bearers to 2,503. That is an increase of 143 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,007 to #11,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Dearmas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearmas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Black (2.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dearmas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (2,215 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dearmas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.5%), White (7.5%), Black (2.5%). 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 Dearmas (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 Dearmas mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, derived from the phrase "de Armas," meaning "of weapons" or "of arms." 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 Dearmas (0.84 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 Dearmas?
You can see how many people have the last name Dearmas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.