2000
#8,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,812
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Deas
An anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "O'Deaghaidh," meaning "descendant of Deaghadh" (a personal name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,405 Americans carry the last name Deas. That puts it at #8,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deas 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Deas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,810
Census rank
#8,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,841 bearers of the surname Deas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deas, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (41.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deas
Among Census respondents with the surname Deas, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (41.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Deas 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 Deas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.6% · 1,865
- White41.0% · 1,576
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 218
- Two or more races3.9% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deas
Deas 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
#7,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,165
+353 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Up 83 places
2020
#8,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,841
-324 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,027 | 3,812 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,944 | 4,165 | 1.41 | +353 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 83 places |
| 2020 | #8,263 | 3,841 | 1.29 | -324 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 319 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 Deas 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 | #7,944 | #8,263 | -4.0% |
| Count | 4,165 | 3,841 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.29 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deas bearers went from 4,165 to 3,841 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 319 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,944 to #8,263.
FAQ
Deas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deas?
Name Census estimates that about 4,405 living Americans carry the surname Deas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,810 residents.
How common is Deas?
Deas ranks #8,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,841 people with the surname Deas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,405), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Deas.
Has Deas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deas went from 4,165 recorded bearers to 3,841. That is a decrease of 324 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,944 to #8,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Deas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deas, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (41.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Deas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.6% (1,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.6%), White (41.0%), Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Deas (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 Deas mean?
An anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "O'Deaghaidh," meaning "descendant of Deaghadh" (a personal name of unknown meaning). 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 Deas (1.29 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 common is the surname Deas?
Find out how many people have the surname Deas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.