2000
#11,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,640
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Deer
An English surname derived from the animal, likely referring to a hunter or someone living near deer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,356 Americans carry the last name Deer. That puts it at #10,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deer 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 Deer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 102,132
Census rank
#10,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,927 bearers of the surname Deer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deer
The surname Deer originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning a wild animal or a deer. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where it appeared as "le Derre" in 1176.
In medieval times, the name was likely used to identify individuals who were involved in hunting or keeping deer, either as gamekeepers or foresters. Some early bearers of the name may have lived near areas known for their deer populations or forests where deer were found.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Deer was Richard le Deer, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. Another early bearer was Willelmus le Derre, whose name appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1274.
The surname Deer can also be linked to various place names in England, such as Deerfield in Derbyshire and Deerham in Norfolk. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Deer include:
1. Sir Ralph Deer (c. 1550 - 1625), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Maldon in Essex during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Thomas Deer (1572 - 1636), an English clergyman and author of several religious works, including "The Doctrine of the Sabbath."
3. John Deer (1804 - 1886), an American blacksmith and inventor, best known for founding the Deer & Company, which later became the Deer & Company agricultural machinery company.
4. Sir Ralph Deer (1876 - 1958), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Bermuda from 1935 to 1939.
5. Dorothy Deer (1920 - 2008), an American writer and journalist who authored several books on travel and culture.
While the surname Deer may have evolved from different sources or regions within England, its origins can be traced back to the 12th century and are closely tied to the Old English word for deer or wild animals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deer
Among Census respondents with the surname Deer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Deer 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 Deer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.9% · 2,047
- Black or African American12.7% · 373
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.1% · 180
- Two or more races4.6% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deer
Deer 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
#11,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,888
+248 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 31 places
2020
#10,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,927
+39 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 544 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,044 | 2,640 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,013 | 2,888 | 0.98 | +248 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 31 places |
| 2020 | #10,469 | 2,927 | 0.98 | +39 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 544 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 Deer 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 | #11,013 | #10,469 | 4.9% |
| Count | 2,888 | 2,927 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.98 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deer bearers went from 2,888 to 2,927 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 544 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,013 to #10,469.
FAQ
Deer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,356 living Americans carry the surname Deer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,132 residents.
How common is Deer?
Deer ranks #10,469 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,927 people with the surname Deer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,356), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Deer.
Has Deer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deer went from 2,888 recorded bearers to 2,927. That is an increase of 39 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,013 to #10,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Deer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%). 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 Deer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.9% (2,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.9%), Black (12.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%). 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 Deer (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 Deer mean?
An English surname derived from the animal, likely referring to a hunter or someone living near deer. 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 Deer (0.98 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 Deer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.