2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dechamps
A French locational surname for someone from a place containing the word "champs" or fields.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Dechamps. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dechamps 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Dechamps in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dechamps, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Black (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dechamps
The surname DECHAMPS finds its origins in France, emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French phrase "de champs," which translates to "of the fields" or "from the fields." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived or worked in rural areas or had an association with agricultural activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DECHAMPS can be traced back to the 13th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Picardy and Normandy. In historical records from this era, the name appeared with various spellings, such as "de Champ," "des Champs," and "Dechamps."
The DECHAMPS name is notably mentioned in the Rolls of the Battell Abbey, a manuscript dating back to the late 11th century. This document contains a record of the Norman soldiers who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. However, it is uncertain whether the name referred to in this manuscript is directly linked to the modern DECHAMPS surname.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the DECHAMPS name was Jean Dechamps, a prominent French scholar and theologian who lived from around 1280 to 1349. He was known for his writings on various theological and philosophical topics and served as the Rector of the University of Paris.
In the 15th century, the DECHAMPS name gained prominence in the city of Dijon, located in the Burgundy region of France. Pierre Dechamps (1442-1512) was a notable figure during this period, serving as a magistrate and prominent citizen of Dijon. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the city's governance and affairs for several generations.
Another notable figure was Jacques Dechamps (1619-1692), a French Jesuit priest and missionary who traveled to North America in the mid-17th century. He is known for his work among the Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region, particularly the Huron and Iroquois nations.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the DECHAMPS name also appeared in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris. Individuals such as René Dechamps (1588-1643), a lawyer and magistrate from Normandy, and Antoine Dechamps (1635-1714), a renowned architect from Paris, contributed to the name's legacy during this period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dechamps
Among Census respondents with the surname Dechamps, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Black (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dechamps 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 Dechamps surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 14
- Black or African American8.3% · 10
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dechamps
Dechamps 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,685 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,685 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,005 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 Dechamps 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 | #138,304 | #141,309 | -2.2% |
| Count | 121 | 121 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dechamps bearers went from 121 to 121 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #141,309.
FAQ
Dechamps surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dechamps?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Dechamps. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Dechamps?
Dechamps ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Dechamps. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Dechamps.
Has Dechamps become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dechamps went from 121 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Dechamps?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dechamps, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Black (8.3%). 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 Dechamps in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dechamps appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Hispanic (11.6%), Black (8.3%). 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 Dechamps (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 Dechamps mean?
A French locational surname for someone from a place containing the word "champs" or fields. 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 Dechamps (0.04 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 Dechamps?
Find out how many people have the surname Dechamps on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.