2000
#7,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Deen
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "religion" or "faith," derived from the Arabic word "din."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,067 Americans carry the last name Deen. That puts it at #7,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,644 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deen 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 Deen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,644
Census rank
#7,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,419 bearers of the surname Deen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deen, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deen
The surname Deen has its origins in the Arabic language, specifically from the word "deen" which means "religion" or "way of life". The name likely emerged in regions with significant Muslim populations, such as the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of South Asia.
The earliest known records of the Deen surname can be traced back to the 7th century, during the Islamic Golden Age. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by individuals who were deeply involved in religious or scholarly pursuits, as a way to reflect their dedication to their faith.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Deen was Al-Ghazali (1058-1111), a renowned Persian philosopher, theologian, and jurist. His seminal work, "The Incoherence of the Philosophers," had a profound impact on Islamic philosophy and theology.
In the 12th century, the Deen surname appeared in several historical manuscripts from the Abbasid Caliphate, indicating its presence among scholars and religious leaders of that era. One such figure was Ibn Rushd (1126-1198), better known as Averroes in the West, a celebrated philosopher and jurist who made significant contributions to Islamic philosophy and jurisprudence.
During the Ottoman Empire, the Deen surname gained prominence among Turkish scholars and bureaucrats. Notably, Mustafa Deen (1551-1618) was a renowned Ottoman historian and chronicler, best known for his work "The History of the Ottoman Sultans."
In the Indian subcontinent, the Deen surname can be traced back to the Mughal Empire, where it was adopted by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, poets, and courtiers. One prominent figure was Amir Khusrau Deen (1253-1325), a celebrated Sufi poet, scholar, and musician, often regarded as the "father of Qawwali" (a form of Sufi devotional music).
Another notable figure with the Deen surname was Mullah Shams-ud-Deen (1589-1662), a influential Islamic scholar and theologian from the Mughal Empire, who was known for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and his influential work "The Essence of Islamic Law."
Throughout history, the Deen surname has been associated with individuals from various regions and backgrounds who have made significant contributions to Islamic scholarship, literature, and culture. While the name's roots can be traced back to the Arabic language, it has become a part of diverse cultural traditions and continues to be carried by individuals from different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deen
Among Census respondents with the surname Deen, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Deen 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 Deen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.3% · 3,017
- Black or African American14.1% · 622
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.1% · 357
- Two or more races5.5% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deen
Deen 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
#7,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,471
+358 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 11 places
2020
#7,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,419
-52 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,464 | 4,113 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,453 | 4,471 | 1.52 | +358 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 11 places |
| 2020 | #7,268 | 4,419 | 1.48 | -52 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 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 Deen 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 | #7,453 | #7,268 | 2.5% |
| Count | 4,471 | 4,419 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.48 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deen bearers went from 4,471 to 4,419 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,453 to #7,268.
FAQ
Deen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deen?
Name Census estimates that about 5,067 living Americans carry the surname Deen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,644 residents.
How common is Deen?
Deen ranks #7,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,419 people with the surname Deen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Deen.
Has Deen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deen went from 4,471 recorded bearers to 4,419. That is a decrease of 52 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,453 to #7,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Deen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deen, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%). 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 Deen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.3% (3,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.3%), Black (14.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%). 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 Deen (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 Deen mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "religion" or "faith," derived from the Arabic word "din." 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 Deen (1.48 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 Deen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.