Find out how popular the last name Deckard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Deckard.

Deckard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Deckard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Deckard in America

Deckard is the 5752nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Deckard surname appeared 6,022 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Deckard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Deckard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Deckard

The surname DECKARD is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the Old German word "deckhart," which means "brave" or "hardy." This name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who displayed these qualities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the DECKARD name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this text, a man named Deckhard von Wittenberg is mentioned as a knight and landowner.

During the 15th century, the DECKARD name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Franconia. One notable figure from this period was Johann Deckard, a scholar and theologian born in Nuremberg in 1492. He wrote several treatises on religious topics and served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Deckardt, Deckert, and Dekkert. In the 17th century, a Dutch family named Deckard settled in the Netherlands, where they became prominent merchants and traders.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the DECKARD name in England can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, dating back to the late 16th century. This record mentions a man named Thomas Deckard, who was baptized in 1589.

In the 18th century, a German immigrant named Johann Deckard settled in Pennsylvania, United States. His descendants went on to become influential members of the local community, with some serving as politicians and military officers during the American Revolutionary War.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the DECKARD surname. These include:

1. Friedrich Deckard (1766-1846), a German writer and playwright known for his satirical works.
2. Johann Deckard (1871-1945), a German-American artist and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings.
3. Alma Deckard (1901-1989), an American educator and advocate for women's rights.
4. Hans Deckard (1920-2003), a German-born engineer who contributed to the development of rocket technology.
5. Bradley Deckard (1958-present), an American author and journalist who has written extensively on environmental issues.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Deckard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Deckard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Deckard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Deckard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Deckard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Deckard, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!