2000
#15,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Dejean
A French locational surname derived from a place name meaning "of Jean" or "belonging to Jean."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,336 Americans carry the last name Dejean. That puts it at #14,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dejean 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
2.3K
1 in 146,727
Census rank
#14,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,037 bearers of the surname Dejean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dejean, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (42.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dejean
The surname DEJEAN originated in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French words "de" meaning "of" and "Jan" or "Jean", a common French name derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan.
The name was particularly prevalent in the southern regions of France, such as Languedoc and Provence. It is believed that the name may have been used to distinguish those who were from the town or region of Jean, a common place name in France.
One of the earliest known records of the name DEJEAN is found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Lérins, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document references a nobleman named Guilhem DEJEAN who was a vassal of the Count of Provence.
In the 14th century, a branch of the DEJEAN family settled in the town of Nîmes, located in the Languedoc region. A notable member of this branch was Jacques DEJEAN (1315-1384), a merchant and landowner who was instrumental in the construction of the town's fortifications.
During the 16th century, the DEJEAN name gained prominence with the birth of Urbain DEJEAN (1535-1616), a renowned French military engineer and architect. He is best known for his work on the fortifications of several important cities, including La Rochelle and Brouage.
Another notable figure was Jean DEJEAN (1679-1744), a French botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of insects. He is credited with introducing the concept of binomial nomenclature, a system of naming species with two parts: the genus and the specific epithet.
In the 19th century, Pierre François Marie Auguste DEJEAN (1780-1845) was a French entomologist and military officer. He is renowned for his extensive work on the classification of beetles, publishing several volumes on the subject.
Throughout history, the DEJEAN surname has been associated with various places in France, such as Nîmes, Marseille, and Lyon, where members of the family have lived and contributed to the local communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dejean
Among Census respondents with the surname Dejean, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (42.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dejean 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 Dejean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.0% · 978
- White42.0% · 855
- Two or more races4.8% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dejean
Dejean 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
#14,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,978
+253 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 613 places
2020
#14,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,037
+59 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 797 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,563 | 1,725 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,950 | 1,978 | 0.67 | +253 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 613 places |
| 2020 | #14,153 | 2,037 | 0.68 | +59 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 797 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 Dejean 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 | #14,950 | #14,153 | 5.3% |
| Count | 1,978 | 2,037 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.68 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dejean bearers went from 1,978 to 2,037 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 797 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,950 to #14,153.
FAQ
Dejean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dejean?
Name Census estimates that about 2,336 living Americans carry the surname Dejean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,727 residents.
How common is Dejean?
Dejean ranks #14,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,037 people with the surname Dejean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,336), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Dejean.
Has Dejean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dejean went from 1,978 recorded bearers to 2,037. That is an increase of 59 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,950 to #14,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Dejean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dejean, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (42.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dejean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dejean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.0%), White (42.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Dejean (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 Dejean mean?
A French locational surname derived from a place name meaning "of Jean" or "belonging to Jean." 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 Dejean (0.68 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 are called Dejean?
You can see how many people have the surname Dejean on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.