2000
#5,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,438
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Deckard
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hats or caps, derived from Middle English dekker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,403 Americans carry the last name Deckard. That puts it at #5,937 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deckard 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
6.4K
1 in 53,530
Census rank
#5,937
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,584 bearers of the surname Deckard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5937th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deckard, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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earliest recorded instances of the DECKARD name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deckard
Among Census respondents with the surname Deckard, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Deckard 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 Deckard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 4,533
- Black or African American10.4% · 583
- Two or more races4.1% · 229
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 159
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deckard
Deckard 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
#5,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,022
+584 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Up 70 places
2020
#5,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,584
-438 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,822 | 5,438 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,752 | 6,022 | 2.04 | +584 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 70 places |
| 2020 | #5,937 | 5,584 | 1.87 | -438 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 185 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 Deckard 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 | #5,752 | #5,937 | -3.2% |
| Count | 6,022 | 5,584 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.87 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deckard bearers went from 6,022 to 5,584 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,752 to #5,937.
FAQ
Deckard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deckard?
Name Census estimates that about 6,403 living Americans carry the surname Deckard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,530 residents.
How common is Deckard?
Deckard ranks #5,937 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 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 5,584 people with the surname Deckard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,403), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 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 Deckard.
Has Deckard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deckard went from 6,022 recorded bearers to 5,584. That is a decrease of 438 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,752 to #5,937.
What does the Census say about the background of Deckard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deckard, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Deckard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (4,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deckard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Deckard (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 Deckard mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hats or caps, derived from Middle English dekker. 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 Deckard (1.87 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 share the surname Deckard?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.