2000
#20,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,181
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.44
Rare Last name
Dedman
An English surname derived from the Old English "dead" and "man," possibly referring to someone who worked with the deceased.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,300 Americans carry the last name Dedman. That puts it at #23,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 263,657 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dedman 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 Dedman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 263,657
Census rank
#23,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,134 bearers of the surname Dedman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (12.3%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dedman
The surname Dedman originated in England, with its earliest known records dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dyde" or "dede," meaning "dead," and "man," referring to an undertaker, gravedigger, or someone involved in the burial trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a Willelmus Dedeman is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late medieval period.
In the 14th century, the name is found in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1327, which lists a William Dedeman. The Dedman surname also appears in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, indicating its spread across different parts of England.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Deadman, Dedeman, and Dednam. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One notable early bearer of the Dedman name was John Dedman, a merchant and landowner from Staffordshire, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Records show that he owned properties in the town of Stafford and was involved in local affairs.
Another significant figure was William Dedman, born in 1585 in Lincolnshire. He was a clergyman and served as the Rector of Sturton-le-Steeple in Nottinghamshire from 1615 until his death in 1649.
In the 18th century, the Dedman surname appeared in various parish records across England. For instance, the baptism of Sarah Dedman was recorded in the parish of St. James, Clerkenwell, London, in 1722.
One notable bearer of the name in the 19th century was Thomas Dedman, born in Derbyshire in 1818. He was a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Dedman Foundry in Derby, which specialized in the production of iron castings and machinery.
Another significant figure was Alfred Dedman, born in 1852 in Gloucestershire. He was a renowned architect and designed several notable buildings in Bristol, including the Bristol Diocesan Church House and the Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre.
In terms of place names, the village of Dedham in Essex, England, may have some connection to the surname, though the origins of the place name itself are uncertain. Some have suggested it could be derived from the Old English words "dede" and "ham," meaning "dead" and "homestead" or "village."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dedman
Among Census respondents with the surname Dedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (12.3%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dedman 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 Dedman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.2% · 830
- American Indian and Alaska Native12.3% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 65
- Two or more races4.5% · 51
- Black or African American3.8% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dedman
Dedman 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
#21,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,238
+57 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#23,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,134
-104 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 1,940 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,785 | 1,181 | 0.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,204 | 1,238 | 0.42 | +57 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #23,144 | 1,134 | 0.38 | -104 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 1,940 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 Dedman 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 | #21,204 | #23,144 | -9.1% |
| Count | 1,238 | 1,134 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.38 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dedman bearers went from 1,238 to 1,134 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 1,940 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,204 to #23,144.
FAQ
Dedman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dedman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,300 living Americans carry the surname Dedman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 263,657 residents.
How common is Dedman?
Dedman ranks #23,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,134 people with the surname Dedman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Dedman.
Has Dedman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dedman went from 1,238 recorded bearers to 1,134. That is a decrease of 104 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,204 to #23,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Dedman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (12.3%) and Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Dedman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.2% (830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dedman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (12.3%), Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Dedman (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 Dedman mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English "dead" and "man," possibly referring to someone who worked with the deceased. 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 Dedman (0.38 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 are called Dedman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Dedman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.