2000
#5,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,350
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Deese
Derived from the medieval French word "dais," referring to a raised platform or table, likely an occupational surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,989 Americans carry the last name Deese. That puts it at #5,504 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deese 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
7.0K
1 in 49,042
Census rank
#5,504
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,095 bearers of the surname Deese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5504th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deese, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deese
The surname Deese has its origins in the German language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the German word "Dese," which referred to a bundle or a sheaf of grain or hay. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who worked with hay or grain, possibly a farmer or a harvester.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deese can be found in the historical records of the Rhineland region of Germany, dating back to the 14th century. In these records, the name appears in various spellings such as "Dese," "Desen," and "Desen."
During the 16th century, the name Deese began to spread across other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. Records from this period show variations in spelling, including "Dees," "Deess," and "Deesse."
In the town of Memmingen, located in the German state of Bavaria, there is a record of a prominent citizen named Hans Deese, who lived in the late 15th century. He served as a member of the town council and played a significant role in local affairs.
Another notable figure with the surname Deese was Johann Deese, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1630 in the town of Nuremberg, he studied at the University of Jena and later became a professor at the University of Altdorf, where he taught until his death in 1682.
In the 18th century, the name Deese appeared in various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. One example is Pieter Deese, a Dutch merchant and trader who lived in Amsterdam during the 1700s and was involved in the lucrative spice trade with the East Indies.
In the 19th century, the surname Deese found its way to the United States, as many German immigrants settled in various parts of the country. One notable American with this surname was William Deese, a Civil War veteran who served in the Union Army during the conflict. He was born in 1842 in Pennsylvania and later settled in Ohio after the war.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Deese, an educator and women's rights advocate who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1865 in North Carolina, she dedicated her life to promoting education and advocating for women's suffrage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deese
Among Census respondents with the surname Deese, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Deese 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 Deese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 4,388
- Black or African American11.0% · 672
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.8% · 539
- Two or more races4.6% · 281
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deese
Deese 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
#5,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,626
+276 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#5,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,095
-531 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 239 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,068 | 6,350 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,265 | 6,626 | 2.25 | +276 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #5,504 | 6,095 | 2.04 | -531 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 239 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 Deese 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 | #5,265 | #5,504 | -4.5% |
| Count | 6,626 | 6,095 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.25 | 2.04 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deese bearers went from 6,626 to 6,095 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 239 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,265 to #5,504.
FAQ
Deese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deese?
Name Census estimates that about 6,989 living Americans carry the surname Deese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,042 residents.
How common is Deese?
Deese ranks #5,504 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,095 people with the surname Deese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,989), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Deese.
Has Deese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deese went from 6,626 recorded bearers to 6,095. That is a decrease of 531 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,265 to #5,504.
What does the Census say about the background of Deese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deese, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%). 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 Deese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (4,388 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (11.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%). 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 Deese (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 Deese mean?
Derived from the medieval French word "dais," referring to a raised platform or table, likely an occupational surname. 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 Deese (2.04 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 people have the surname Deese?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.