2000
#17,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Deeb
An Arabic surname meaning "wolf" or "jackal".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,144 Americans carry the last name Deeb. That puts it at #15,135 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deeb 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
2.1K
1 in 159,867
Census rank
#15,135
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,870 bearers of the surname Deeb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15135th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deeb
The surname DEEB has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th to 10th centuries AD.
The name DEEB is derived from the Arabic word "dib," which translates to "bear." It is likely that the surname was initially used as a descriptive name, referring to someone with a bear-like appearance or characteristics. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname given to someone who had an encounter with a bear or was known for hunting bears.
In the early days, surnames were not as prevalent as they are today, and people were often identified by their given name, occupation, or a distinguishing physical trait. The use of the surname DEEB may have started as a way to distinguish individuals with the same given name or occupation within a community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DEEB can be found in the historical archives of the city of Damascus, Syria, dating back to the 12th century. These records mention a merchant named Ahmed DEEB, who was engaged in the lucrative spice trade along the Silk Road.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname DEEB. One such person was Kamal DEEB, an influential Egyptian scholar and poet who lived in the 19th century (1811-1896). He was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and his efforts in preserving the language's rich heritage.
Another notable figure was Ghassan DEEB, a Lebanese diplomat and politician who served as the Ambassador of Lebanon to the United States from 1986 to 1992. He played a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries during a period of political turmoil in the Middle East.
In the realm of sports, Nour DEEB, a professional tennis player from Lebanon, made her mark in the early 2000s. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of 60 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and won several titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.
The name DEEB can also be found in various historical records from other parts of the Middle East, such as Palestine and Jordan. For instance, there are mentions of the DEEB family in the village of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, dating back to the 18th century.
Throughout its history, the surname DEEB has been subject to variations in spelling, including Dib, Dibb, and Deeb. These variations may have arisen due to regional dialects, linguistic shifts, or transcription errors when transliterating the name from Arabic to other languages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deeb
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Deeb 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 Deeb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,714
- Two or more races3.6% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 26
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deeb
Deeb 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
#16,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,711
+191 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 466 places
2020
#15,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,870
+159 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 1,585 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,186 | 1,520 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,720 | 1,711 | 0.58 | +191 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 466 places |
| 2020 | #15,135 | 1,870 | 0.63 | +159 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 1,585 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 Deeb 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 | #16,720 | #15,135 | 9.5% |
| Count | 1,711 | 1,870 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.63 | 7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deeb bearers went from 1,711 to 1,870 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 1,585 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,720 to #15,135.
FAQ
Deeb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deeb?
Name Census estimates that about 2,144 living Americans carry the surname Deeb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,867 residents.
How common is Deeb?
Deeb ranks #15,135 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,870 people with the surname Deeb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Deeb.
Has Deeb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deeb went from 1,711 recorded bearers to 1,870. That is an increase of 159 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,720 to #15,135.
What does the Census say about the background of Deeb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Deeb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,714 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deeb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Deeb (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 Deeb mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "wolf" or "jackal". 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 Deeb (0.63 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 Deeb?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.