2000
#6,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,752
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Deaver
Derived from the Old French word "devoir" meaning duty, indicative of someone who was conscientious or dutiful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,157 Americans carry the last name Deaver. That puts it at #7,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deaver 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
5.2K
1 in 66,464
Census rank
#7,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,497 bearers of the surname Deaver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deaver, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deaver
The surname DEAVER has its origins traced back to England and Scotland in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely associated with hunting or forestry.
In England, the earliest recorded mention of the name DEAVER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where it appears as "Deuere." This spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname DEAVER was Sir John Deaver, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. His bravery and loyalty to the Crown were celebrated, and he was granted lands in Hertfordshire.
Another notable figure was William DEAVER, born in 1542 in Yorkshire, who was a prominent merchant and shipowner during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His successful trading ventures with the Netherlands and Spain contributed significantly to the economic prosperity of the time.
In Scotland, the name DEAVER is believed to have originated from the village of Deaver in Aberdeenshire. One of the earliest recorded Scottish bearers of this surname was Robert DEAVER, a landowner in Deaver, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
John DEAVER, born in 1612 in Stirlingshire, was a renowned scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the intellectual discourse of the Scottish Enlightenment. His writings on moral philosophy and natural theology were widely read and influential during his time.
In the 17th century, the name DEAVER was also associated with the village of Deaverham in Cheshire, England. A notable figure from this area was Thomas DEAVER, born in 1675, who was a prominent architect and was commissioned to design several churches and manor houses in the region.
As the centuries passed, the DEAVER surname spread across various parts of the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world, carried by emigrants and settlers seeking new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deaver
Among Census respondents with the surname Deaver, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Deaver 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 Deaver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 3,818
- Black or African American5.9% · 265
- Two or more races4.3% · 195
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deaver
Deaver 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
#7,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,729
-23 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 503 places
2020
#7,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,497
-232 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,577 | 4,752 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,080 | 4,729 | 1.60 | -23 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 503 places |
| 2020 | #7,164 | 4,497 | 1.50 | -232 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 84 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 Deaver 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 | #7,080 | #7,164 | -1.2% |
| Count | 4,729 | 4,497 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.50 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deaver bearers went from 4,729 to 4,497 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,080 to #7,164.
FAQ
Deaver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deaver?
Name Census estimates that about 5,157 living Americans carry the surname Deaver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,464 residents.
How common is Deaver?
Deaver ranks #7,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,497 people with the surname Deaver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Deaver.
Has Deaver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deaver went from 4,729 recorded bearers to 4,497. That is a decrease of 232 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,080 to #7,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Deaver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deaver, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Deaver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (3,818 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deaver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Deaver (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 Deaver mean?
Derived from the Old French word "devoir" meaning duty, indicative of someone who was conscientious or dutiful. 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 Deaver (1.50 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 have the last name Deaver?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Deaver at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.