2000
#5,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,792
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Dejong
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone from a young or new settlement or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,558 Americans carry the last name Dejong. That puts it at #5,133 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dejong 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dejong with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,350
Census rank
#5,133
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,591 bearers of the surname Dejong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5133rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dejong, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dejong
The surname DeJong originated in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the father's given name. In this case, DeJong is believed to have originated from the Dutch word "jong," meaning "young." The prefix "de" is a common Dutch prefix added to surnames.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DeJong surname can be found in a 1585 document from the Dutch city of Haarlem, which mentions a man named Pieter DeJong. Additionally, the name appears in the 1622 records of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam, now known as New York City.
In the Netherlands, the name DeJong was particularly prevalent in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. It was also common in the provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland. The name's popularity in these regions suggests that it may have originated there, though its exact place of origin is uncertain.
Among the notable individuals with the surname DeJong throughout history are:
1. Adriaen DeJong (c. 1609-1667), a Dutch painter known for his landscape and architectural paintings.
2. Cornelis DeJong (1834-1912), a Dutch journalist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1891 to 1894.
3. Piet DeJong (1887-1967), a Dutch architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
4. Meindert DeJong (1906-1991), an American writer and author of children's books, including "The Wheel on the School" and "The House of Sixty Fathers."
5. Marinus DeJong (1891-1944), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who was executed by the Nazis for his involvement in the Dutch resistance movement.
It is worth noting that the DeJong surname has also been recorded with slight variations in spelling, such as De Jong, DeJonge, and DeJongh, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling conventions of different areas in the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dejong
Among Census respondents with the surname Dejong, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dejong 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 Dejong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 6,073
- Two or more races3.1% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 75
- Black or African American0.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dejong
Dejong 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
#5,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,249
+457 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#5,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,591
+342 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Up 430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,518 | 5,792 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,563 | 6,249 | 2.12 | +457 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #5,133 | 6,591 | 2.21 | +342 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 430 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 Dejong 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 | #5,563 | #5,133 | 7.7% |
| Count | 6,249 | 6,591 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 2.21 | 4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dejong bearers went from 6,249 to 6,591 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 430 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,563 to #5,133.
FAQ
Dejong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dejong?
Name Census estimates that about 7,558 living Americans carry the surname Dejong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,350 residents.
How common is Dejong?
Dejong ranks #5,133 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.21 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 6,591 people with the surname Dejong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.21 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 Dejong.
Has Dejong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dejong went from 6,249 recorded bearers to 6,591. That is an increase of 342 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,563 to #5,133.
What does the Census say about the background of Dejong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dejong, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Dejong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (6,073 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dejong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Dejong (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 Dejong mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone from a young or new settlement or town. 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 Dejong (2.21 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 common is the surname Dejong?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Dejong on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.