Deas last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Deas

An anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "O'Deaghaidh," meaning "descendant of Deaghadh" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

Deas, 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 Deas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Deas in America

Deas is the 7944th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Deas surname appeared 4,165 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Deas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Deas 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 7944 8027 -1.04%
Count 4,165 3,812 8.85%
Proportion per 100k 1.41 1.41 0.00%

The history of the last name Deas

The surname DEAS is believed to have originated in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Scottish surname "DEWAR," which is derived from the Gaelic word "deobhair," meaning "servant" or "follower."

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name DEAS was John Deas, who is mentioned in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1578. This document suggests that the DEAS family was well-established in Scotland by the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the DEAS surname appeared in various Scottish records, including the Parish Registers of Stirlingshire and Aberdeenshire. These records indicate that the name was particularly prevalent in the central and northeastern regions of Scotland during this time period.

One notable bearer of the DEAS surname was David Deas, a Scottish writer and historian who lived from 1793 to 1867. He authored several works on Scottish history and culture, including "The Narrative of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa" and "The River Clyde and the Harbour of Glasgow."

Another prominent figure with the DEAS surname was Sir John Deas, a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord of Session from 1826 to 1838. He played a significant role in the development of Scottish legal principles and is remembered for his contributions to the field of law.

In the 19th century, the DEAS surname began to spread beyond Scotland as members of the family emigrated to other parts of the world. One such individual was Alexander Deas, a Scottish-born merchant and explorer who settled in Texas in the 1830s. He is credited with establishing one of the first Anglo settlements in the region and played a crucial role in the development of early Texas.

Another notable bearer of the DEAS surname was George Deas, a Scottish-American artist who lived from 1770 to 1857. He is best known for his portraits of prominent figures in Charleston, South Carolina, where he resided for much of his life.

Throughout its history, the DEAS surname has been linked to various place names and older spellings, such as "Deas" and "Dias," reflecting its Scottish origins and the variations that occurred as the name spread to different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Deas

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

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 Deas was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 42.02% 1,750
Non-Hispanic Black Only 49.22% 2,050
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.06% 44
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.36% 15
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.16% 90
Hispanic Origin 5.19% 216

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 Deas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 42.02% 44.65% -6.07%
Black 49.22% 48.82% 0.82%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.06% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.36% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.16% 2.07% 4.26%
Hispanic 5.19% 4.12% 22.99%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Deas last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 3, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/deas-surname-popularity/.

"Deas last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/deas-surname-popularity/. Accessed 3 October, 2024

Deas last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/deas-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.