2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Deeth
A variant spelling of the surname Death or De Ath of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Deeth. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deeth 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Deeth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deeth
The surname Deeth originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "deeth," which means "death." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone associated with death or mortality, such as a gravedigger or undertaker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deeth can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where a person named Roger Deeth was mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already in use by that time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, where a William Deeth was listed. The Deeth family seemed to have been concentrated in the southern counties of England during this period.
A notable figure bearing the surname Deeth was John Deeth, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1558 to 1577. He was born in the early 1500s and played a role in the religious debates of the time.
Another significant individual with the surname Deeth was Sir Thomas Deeth, a 17th-century English politician and landowner. He served as a Member of Parliament for Devizes in Wiltshire and was knighted in 1661. Sir Thomas Deeth was born around 1620 and died in 1689.
In the 18th century, the Deeth family had a presence in various parts of England, as evidenced by parish records and local histories. One notable member of the family was Richard Deeth, born in 1725, who was a successful merchant and philanthropist in the city of Bristol.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Deeth continued to be found across England, with families settling in areas such as Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire. A prominent figure from this period was William Deeth, born in 1823, who was a renowned architect and designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Throughout its history, the surname Deeth has also been associated with various place names, such as Deeth Hill in Lincolnshire and Deeth Farm in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from families or individuals bearing the Deeth surname who resided in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deeth
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Deeth 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 Deeth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deeth
Deeth 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+7 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,300 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 2,300 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 810 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 Deeth 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 | #149,395 | #150,205 | -0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 109 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deeth bearers went from 110 to 109 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 810 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,205.
FAQ
Deeth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deeth?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Deeth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Deeth?
Deeth ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Deeth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Deeth.
Has Deeth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deeth went from 110 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Deeth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Deeth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deeth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Deeth (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 Deeth mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Death or De Ath of uncertain origin. 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 Deeth (0.04 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 Deeth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.