Find out how popular the last name Demarest is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Demarest.

Demarest, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Demarest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Demarest in America

Demarest is the 10956th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Demarest surname appeared 2,904 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Demarest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Demarest to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Demarest

The surname DEMAREST is of Dutch origin, originating from the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "marest" meaning "marshy area" or "marsh", indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a marshland or wetland area.

The earliest known record of the DEMAREST surname dates back to the late 16th century in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands. It is believed that the name may have originated as a place name, referring to a specific location with a marshy or swampy landscape.

One of the earliest known bearers of the DEMAREST surname was Samuel DEMAREST, born in Middelburg, Zeeland in 1599. He later immigrated to New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the 1630s and became one of the earliest European settlers in the region.

In the 17th century, the DEMAREST family played a prominent role in the early Dutch settlements of New Netherland (present-day New York and New Jersey). David DEMAREST (1619-1693) was a influential figure, serving as a magistrate and landowner in what is now Bergen County, New Jersey.

Another notable bearer of the DEMAREST name was David Demorest (1826-1889), an American inventor and businessman. He is credited with patenting the first commercially successful sewing machine for home use and founding the Demorest Fashion and Sewing Machine Company.

Other historical figures with the DEMAREST surname include:

• Jacques DEMAREST (1720-1799), a French-American merchant and land speculator in New York.
• Henry W. DEMAREST (1832-1893), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.
• John B. DEMAREST (1832-1908), an American educator and president of Rutgers University from 1882 to 1888.
• Alice B. DEMAREST (1863-1924), an American writer and educator, known for her works on children's literature.

While the DEMAREST surname originated in the Netherlands, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and across the Atlantic to the Americas, where it became particularly prominent in the Dutch settlements of New Netherland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Demarest

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Demarest.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Demarest was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Demarest has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Demarest was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Demarest, please contact us.

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