2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Deits
A variant of the German surname "Dietz," derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Dietrich."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Deits. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deits 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Deits in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deits, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deits
The surname DEITS has its origins in the German language and traces back to the medieval period. It likely originated as a locational name, derived from a place name that was once spelled as "Deytz" or a similar variation. This place name may have referred to a small village or hamlet in what is now modern-day Germany.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the DEITS surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time and may have been associated with a specific locality within Saxony.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name DEITS began appearing in various records across different parts of Germany, indicating its spread and establishment as a distinct surname. In the region of Westphalia, for instance, there are records of individuals bearing the name DEITS from as early as the late 13th century.
Notable individuals with the surname DEITS include Johann Wilhelm DEITS (1657-1723), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Kassel. Another figure was Friedrich DEITS (1788-1860), a German philosopher and professor at the University of Berlin, known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 16th century, the name DEITS also gained prominence in the Netherlands, likely due to migration from neighboring German regions. One example is Hendrick DEITS (1525-1592), a Dutch painter and engraver who was active in the city of Haarlem during the Dutch Renaissance.
Moving into the 17th century, there is evidence of the DEITS surname in various parts of Europe, including France and England. One such individual was Jean-Baptiste DEITS (1609-1678), a French architect and engineer who worked on several notable projects in Paris during the reign of Louis XIV.
Throughout its history, the surname DEITS has maintained its German roots and associations with various localities and regions within the broader German-speaking world. While alternative spellings may have emerged over time, such as "Deytz" or "Deitsch," the core surname has endured as a distinct identifier of family lineage and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deits
Among Census respondents with the surname Deits, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Deits 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 Deits surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deits
Deits 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,775 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-16 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 12,775 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 11,864 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 Deits 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 | #144,141 | #156,005 | -8.2% |
| Count | 115 | 99 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deits bearers went from 115 to 99 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 11,864 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,005.
FAQ
Deits surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deits?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Deits. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Deits?
Deits ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Deits. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Deits.
Has Deits become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deits went from 115 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Deits?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deits, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) 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 Deits in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deits appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), 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 Deits (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 Deits mean?
A variant of the German surname "Dietz," derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Dietrich." 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 Deits (0.03 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 Deits?
Want to know how many people are called Deits? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.