2000
#10,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,740
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Demarest
Derived from a French place name meaning "of the marsh" or "of the swamp."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,976 Americans carry the last name Demarest. That puts it at #11,588 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Demarest 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
3.0K
1 in 115,173
Census rank
#11,588
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,595 bearers of the surname Demarest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11588th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Demarest, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Demarest
Among Census respondents with the surname Demarest, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Demarest 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 Demarest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,332
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 110
- Two or more races3.7% · 96
- Black or African American1.2% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Demarest
Demarest 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
#10,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,904
+164 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#11,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,595
-309 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 632 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,703 | 2,740 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,956 | 2,904 | 0.98 | +164 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #11,588 | 2,595 | 0.87 | -309 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 632 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 Demarest 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 | #10,956 | #11,588 | -5.8% |
| Count | 2,904 | 2,595 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.87 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Demarest bearers went from 2,904 to 2,595 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 632 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,956 to #11,588.
FAQ
Demarest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Demarest?
Name Census estimates that about 2,976 living Americans carry the surname Demarest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,173 residents.
How common is Demarest?
Demarest ranks #11,588 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,595 people with the surname Demarest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,976), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Demarest.
Has Demarest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Demarest went from 2,904 recorded bearers to 2,595. That is a decrease of 309 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,956 to #11,588.
What does the Census say about the background of Demarest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Demarest, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Demarest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,332 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Demarest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Demarest (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 Demarest mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "of the marsh" or "of the swamp." 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 Demarest (0.87 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 Demarest?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Demarest is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.