2000
#12,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Dearth
A surname derived from Middle English, referring to a time of scarcity, famine, or lack of resources.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,602 Americans carry the last name Dearth. That puts it at #12,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dearth 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
2.6K
1 in 131,727
Census rank
#12,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,269 bearers of the surname Dearth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearth, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dearth
The surname Dearth is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dearth," which means scarcity or famine. This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with individuals who lived during times of food shortage or famine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dearth surname can be found in the parish records of Staffordshire, England, where a William Dearth was mentioned in 1583. Another early record dates back to 1612, when a Thomas Dearth was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire.
During the 17th century, the Dearth surname began to spread across various regions of England. In the early 1600s, a John Dearth was recorded in the Parish Registers of Wiltshire, while a Richard Dearth appeared in the Registers of Warwickshire around the same time period.
The Dearth name has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Dearth Farm in Staffordshire and Dearth Hall in Cheshire. These locations may have served as the ancestral homes of some Dearth families, potentially influencing the adoption of the surname.
One notable individual bearing the Dearth surname was Samuel Dearth (1670-1743), an English minister and author who served as the vicar of Tiverton in Devon. He published several works on religious subjects, including "The Reasonableness of Revealed Religion" and "The Principles of Deism Truly Represented and Set in a Clear Light."
Another prominent figure with the Dearth surname was John Dearth (1781-1846), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He distinguished himself in several battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral.
In the 19th century, the Dearth surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with families residing in counties such as Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Gloucestershire. One notable individual from this period was William Dearth (1819-1892), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Manchester, who contributed significantly to the development of local schools and charitable institutions.
As the Dearth surname spread across the English-speaking world, it also gained a presence in other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of the original Dearth families settled and established new roots.
Overall, the surname Dearth has a rich history that can be traced back to its Old English origins and is associated with various notable individuals who have contributed to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dearth
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearth, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dearth 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 Dearth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,139
- Two or more races3.0% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dearth
Dearth 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
#12,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
+29 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 759 places
2020
#12,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,269
-120 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,122 | 2,360 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,881 | 2,389 | 0.81 | +29 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 759 places |
| 2020 | #12,946 | 2,269 | 0.76 | -120 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 65 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 Dearth 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 | #12,881 | #12,946 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,389 | 2,269 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.76 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dearth bearers went from 2,389 to 2,269 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,881 to #12,946.
FAQ
Dearth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dearth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,602 living Americans carry the surname Dearth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,727 residents.
How common is Dearth?
Dearth ranks #12,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,269 people with the surname Dearth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,602), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Dearth.
Has Dearth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dearth went from 2,389 recorded bearers to 2,269. That is a decrease of 120 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,881 to #12,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Dearth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dearth, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dearth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dearth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Dearth (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 Dearth mean?
A surname derived from Middle English, referring to a time of scarcity, famine, or lack of resources. 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 Dearth (0.76 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 share the surname Dearth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.