2000
#5,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,709
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.12
Rare Last name
Deck
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked on or maintained a ship's deck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,885 Americans carry the last name Deck. That puts it at #6,372 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,242 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deck 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 Deck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,242
Census rank
#6,372
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,132 bearers of the surname Deck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6372nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deck
The surname DECK is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a deck or raised platform. Alternatively, it may have been an occupational name for someone who built or worked with decks or similar structures.
The name is derived from the Middle High German word "decke," meaning "covering" or "roof." This suggests that it may have initially referred to individuals living near a covered or roofed structure, such as a deck or porch.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DECK can be found in the records of the city of Augsburg, Germany, dating back to the year 1293. The entry mentions a "Hans Decke," which is likely an early variation of the surname.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across southern Germany, including the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a "Peter Deck" was documented in 1367.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent variations in spelling, such as "Decke," "Deckher," and "Decker." These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciations.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname DECK was Johann Deck (1545-1619), a German theologian and writer who authored several religious works during the Protestant Reformation.
Another individual of note was Johann Friedrich Deck (1684-1757), a German painter and engraver known for his works depicting religious subjects and landscapes.
In the 19th century, Carl Deck (1814-1890) was a prominent German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Louis, Missouri, including the Anheuser-Busch Brewery complex.
William Deck (1807-1884) was an English businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of education and healthcare facilities in his hometown of Bury, Lancashire.
One of the more recent individuals with the surname DECK was Hans Deck (1892-1976), a German naval officer who served as a submarine commander during World War I and later held various military leadership positions during the interwar period and World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deck
Among Census respondents with the surname Deck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Deck 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 Deck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 4,505
- Black or African American4.0% · 204
- Two or more races3.7% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deck
Deck 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
#6,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,668
-41 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 473 places
2020
#6,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,132
-536 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,581 | 5,709 | 2.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,054 | 5,668 | 1.92 | -41 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 473 places |
| 2020 | #6,372 | 5,132 | 1.72 | -536 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 318 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 Deck 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 | #6,054 | #6,372 | -5.3% |
| Count | 5,668 | 5,132 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.72 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deck bearers went from 5,668 to 5,132 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,054 to #6,372.
FAQ
Deck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deck?
Name Census estimates that about 5,885 living Americans carry the surname Deck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,242 residents.
How common is Deck?
Deck ranks #6,372 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 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 5,132 people with the surname Deck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 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 Deck.
Has Deck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deck went from 5,668 recorded bearers to 5,132. That is a decrease of 536 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,054 to #6,372.
What does the Census say about the background of Deck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Deck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (4,505 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Black (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Deck (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 Deck mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked on or maintained a ship's deck. 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 Deck (1.72 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 Deck?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Deck at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.