2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Delaere
A French surname derived from the word "l'aire", referring to someone who lived near a threshing floor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Delaere. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delaere 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Delaere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delaere, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delaere
The surname DELAERE is of Belgian origin, specifically from the Flemish region of Belgium. It dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "laer," meaning a wooded area or grove, possibly indicating that the earliest bearers of the name lived near or in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Gembloux, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 13th century, which mentions a person named "Willelmus de le Laere."
Another notable early mention of the name is in the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a collection of medieval records from the counties of Holland and Zeeland, which includes a reference to a "Johannes de Laere" in the year 1280.
The earliest known bearer of the surname DELAERE was Gillis DELAERE, born around 1450 in the town of Aalst, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his family can be traced back to the 15th century in the region.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname DELAERE was Jan DELAERE (1525-1589), a renowned painter from Antwerp who specialized in religious and historical scenes. His works can be found in various churches and museums across Belgium and the Netherlands.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Pieter DELAERE (1630-1698), a Flemish architect and sculptor who is best known for his work on the Antwerp Cathedral, where he designed and sculpted several intricate details and ornaments.
During the 17th century, the surname DELAERE can be found in various records from the city of Bruges, where a family of that name was involved in the textile trade and held positions of influence in the local guilds.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname was Karel DELAERE (1822-1892), a Belgian politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Ghent and played a significant role in the development of the city's infrastructure and education system.
While the surname DELAERE is primarily associated with Belgium, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and France, due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delaere
Among Census respondents with the surname Delaere, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Delaere 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 Delaere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 107
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delaere
Delaere appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 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 Delaere 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 | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delaere bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Delaere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delaere?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Delaere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Delaere?
Delaere ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Delaere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Delaere.
Has Delaere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delaere went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Delaere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delaere, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%). 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 Delaere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delaere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Delaere (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 Delaere mean?
A French surname derived from the word "l'aire", referring to someone who lived near a threshing floor. 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 Delaere (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 Americans have the surname Delaere?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.