2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Debyah
A surname of uncertain origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Debyah. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Debyah 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Debyah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Debyah, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Debyah
The surname DEBYAH originated in the coastal region of Normandy, France during the early Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norman French words "de" meaning "from" and "byah" referring to a small village or hamlet. This suggests that the name likely identified the bearer as being from a specific location.
One of the earliest known references to the DEBYAH name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. An entry in the book mentions a "Raoul de Byah" who held lands in the county of Somerset, England.
In the 12th century, a knight named Hugues DEBYAH is recorded as having fought alongside Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade from 1189 to 1192. Hugues was said to have distinguished himself in battle and was granted a coat of arms featuring a lion rampant.
During the 13th century, the DEBYAH name appeared in various medieval charters and records throughout Normandy and neighboring regions. One notable figure was Guillaume DEBYAH, a merchant and landowner born in 1235 who was influential in the development of trade routes between France and England.
In the 15th century, a branch of the DEBYAH family settled in the region of Brittany, where they became prominent in local politics and governance. Jean DEBYAH, born in 1412, served as the mayor of the town of Rennes and played a key role in negotiating treaties with neighboring duchies.
As the DEBYAH name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations such as Debyac, Debiac, and Debya. One notable individual bearing this name was Edmond DEBYAH, a French philosopher and writer born in 1598 who authored several influential works on ethics and morality.
Throughout the centuries, the DEBYAH surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, artists, and military leaders. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins can be traced back to the coastal villages of medieval Normandy, where it first emerged as a marker of place and identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Debyah
Among Census respondents with the surname Debyah, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Debyah 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 Debyah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 92
- Two or more races5.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Debyah
Debyah appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-14 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 8,102 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 Debyah 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 | #148,347 | #156,449 | -5.5% |
| Count | 111 | 97 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Debyah bearers went from 111 to 97 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 8,102 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #156,449.
FAQ
Debyah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Debyah?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Debyah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Debyah?
Debyah ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Debyah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Debyah.
Has Debyah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Debyah went from 111 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Debyah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Debyah, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Debyah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Debyah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Debyah (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 Debyah mean?
A surname of uncertain origin and 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 Debyah (0.03 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 are called Debyah?
Find out how common the surname Debyah is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.