2000
#4,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,456
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Deboer
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a farmer or someone who worked with livestock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,987 Americans carry the last name Deboer. That puts it at #4,378 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deboer 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 Deboer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,139
Census rank
#4,378
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,837 bearers of the surname Deboer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4378th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deboer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deboer
The surname DEBOER originated in the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "boer" meaning "farmer" or "peasant". It was primarily used as an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked as a farmer or came from a family of farmers.
The name first appeared in Dutch records as early as the 12th century, with variations in spelling such as de Boer, DeBoer, and Deboer. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Guelders Charters, a collection of legal documents from the former Duchy of Guelders, dated around 1200.
In the 14th century, the name was also found in the records of the city of Amsterdam, indicating its presence in urban areas as well as rural areas. During this time, the spelling was often standardized as DeBoer or Deboer.
One notable figure with this surname was Pieter de Boer (1809-1887), a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands from 1860 to 1861. Another was Hendrik Gerard de Boer (1843-1923), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
In the United States, the name DEBOER can be traced back to the early Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (later renamed New York) in the 17th century. One of the earliest recorded instances was Pieter Jansen DeBoer, who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647 and was granted land on Manhattan Island.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Jacob DeBoer (1832-1903), a Dutch-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the DeBoer-Witzenburg Company, a successful furniture manufacturing company in Holland, Michigan.
In the 19th century, the name DEBOER also appeared in historical records from other parts of the world, such as South Africa, where Dutch settlers had established colonies. One notable figure was Christiaan Rudolph de Boer (1860-1929), a South African lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney-General of the Cape Colony from 1900 to 1910.
Over time, the surname DEBOER has spread to various countries and regions, but its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands and its original meaning as an occupational surname related to farming and agriculture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deboer
Among Census respondents with the surname Deboer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Deboer 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 Deboer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 7,316
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 204
- Two or more races2.5% · 198
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 76
- Black or African American0.3% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deboer
Deboer 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
#4,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,798
+342 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#4,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,837
+39 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Up 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,398 | 7,456 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,543 | 7,798 | 2.64 | +342 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #4,378 | 7,837 | 2.62 | +39 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 165 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 Deboer 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 | #4,543 | #4,378 | 3.6% |
| Count | 7,798 | 7,837 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.62 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deboer bearers went from 7,798 to 7,837 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,543 to #4,378.
FAQ
Deboer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deboer?
Name Census estimates that about 8,987 living Americans carry the surname Deboer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,139 residents.
How common is Deboer?
Deboer ranks #4,378 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,837 people with the surname Deboer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,987), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Deboer.
Has Deboer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deboer went from 7,798 recorded bearers to 7,837. That is an increase of 39 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,543 to #4,378.
What does the Census say about the background of Deboer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deboer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Deboer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (7,316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deboer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (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 Deboer (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 Deboer mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a farmer or someone who worked with livestock. 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 Deboer (2.62 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 Deboer?
Want to know how many people have the surname Deboer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.