2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Deckinga
An occupational surname referring to a thatcher or maker of roof thatching.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Deckinga. 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 Deckinga 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 Deckinga 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 Deckinga, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deckinga
The surname DECKINGA has its origins in the Germanic region of northern Europe, specifically in the Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name DECKINGA is likely derived from the Low German word "decking," which refers to a cover or a roof. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to those who were involved in the construction or maintenance of roofs and other protective coverings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city in northern Germany, dating back to the 15th century. The name is also mentioned in several Dutch historical documents from the same period, particularly in the regions of Friesland and Groningen.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Bernhard Deckinga (1508-1574) was a Lutheran pastor and theologian who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in northern Germany. He was born in the town of Lüneburg and served as a minister in various churches in the region.
Another Deckinga of note was Jan Deckinga (1615-1688), a Dutch painter and engraver from Friesland. He is known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting rural scenes and coastal views.
In the 18th century, a merchant named Pieter Deckinga (1720-1792) from Amsterdam gained prominence for his successful trading ventures in the Dutch East Indies. His son, Willem Deckinga (1755-1821), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the Dutch East India Company.
The surname DECKINGA has also been associated with several place names in northern Germany and the Netherlands, such as Deckingahausen, a village in Lower Saxony, and Deckingawier, a small town in the Dutch province of Friesland. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Throughout history, the surname DECKINGA has been spelled in various ways, including Decking, Dekkinga, and Dekkinger, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deckinga
Among Census respondents with the surname Deckinga, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Deckinga 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 Deckinga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deckinga
Deckinga 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,654 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,654 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 8,086 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 Deckinga 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 | #149,395 | #141,309 | 5.4% |
| Count | 110 | 121 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deckinga bearers went from 110 to 121 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 8,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #141,309.
FAQ
Deckinga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deckinga?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Deckinga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Deckinga?
Deckinga 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 Deckinga. 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 Deckinga.
Has Deckinga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deckinga went from 110 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 11 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Deckinga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deckinga, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Deckinga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deckinga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Deckinga (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 Deckinga mean?
An occupational surname referring to a thatcher or maker of roof thatching. 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 Deckinga (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 Americans have the surname Deckinga?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.