2000
#6,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Dehaven
A locational surname referring to someone from a port or harbor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,986 Americans carry the last name Dehaven. That puts it at #7,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dehaven 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
5.0K
1 in 68,743
Census rank
#7,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,348 bearers of the surname Dehaven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehaven, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dehaven
The surname DeHaven originates from the Netherlands and is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "haven," meaning "harbor" or "port." It is likely that the prefix "de" was added to denote a place of origin or association with a particular harbor or port town.
During the 17th century, many Dutch settlers immigrated to the American colonies, bringing their surnames with them. The DeHaven name can be traced back to this period of Dutch migration, with early records showing the presence of individuals bearing this surname in the Dutch communities of New York and New Jersey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DeHaven surname appears in the colonial records of New Netherlands (present-day New York) in the late 1600s. A man named Pieter DeHaven was listed as a landowner in the town of Flatbush, Long Island, in 1698.
Another early record of the DeHaven name can be found in the archives of the Dutch Reformed Church in New York City, where a marriage between Johannes DeHaven and Maria Van Dyck was recorded in 1712.
In the 18th century, the DeHaven family spread across the American colonies, with some members settling in Pennsylvania. One notable figure from this period was Isaac DeHaven (1736-1818), a Quaker preacher and abolitionist who was active in the anti-slavery movement.
As the DeHaven family continued to grow and expand throughout the United States, several individuals with this surname achieved prominence in various fields. John DeHaven (1809-1865) was a prominent lawyer and politician from North Carolina, serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1851 to 1855.
In the field of literature, Robert DeHaven (1822-1890) was a renowned American poet and essayist, best known for his works on nature and transcendentalism. Another notable figure was Edward DeHaven (1839-1923), a naval officer who led several Arctic expeditions and served as the Governor of the Samoan Islands from 1900 to 1903.
The DeHaven surname has also been associated with several notable scientists and inventors. John DeHaven (1864-1943) was a pioneering engineer who contributed to the development of early electrical systems and held numerous patents in the field of electrical engineering.
Overall, the surname DeHaven has a rich history rooted in Dutch origins and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dehaven
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehaven, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dehaven 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 Dehaven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,013
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 135
- Two or more races3.0% · 132
- Black or African American0.9% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dehaven
Dehaven 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
#7,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,532
+43 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 453 places
2020
#7,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,348
-184 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,898 | 4,489 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,351 | 4,532 | 1.54 | +43 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 453 places |
| 2020 | #7,391 | 4,348 | 1.45 | -184 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 40 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 Dehaven 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 | #7,351 | #7,391 | -0.5% |
| Count | 4,532 | 4,348 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.45 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dehaven bearers went from 4,532 to 4,348 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,351 to #7,391.
FAQ
Dehaven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dehaven?
Name Census estimates that about 4,986 living Americans carry the surname Dehaven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,743 residents.
How common is Dehaven?
Dehaven ranks #7,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,348 people with the surname Dehaven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,986), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Dehaven.
Has Dehaven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dehaven went from 4,532 recorded bearers to 4,348. That is a decrease of 184 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,351 to #7,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Dehaven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehaven, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Dehaven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,013 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dehaven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Dehaven (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 Dehaven mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a port or harbor. 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 Dehaven (1.45 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 last name Dehaven?
Find out how common the surname Dehaven is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.