2000
#76,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 235
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Demi
A French surname derived from the word "demi," meaning "half."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 283 Americans carry the last name Demi. That puts it at #82,347 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,211,146 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Demi 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
283
1 in 1,211,146
Census rank
#82,347
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
247
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 247 bearers of the surname Demi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82347th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Demi, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Demi
The surname DEMI originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "demi," meaning "half" or "partial." This name likely referred to someone who lived on a half-share of land or paid half the usual taxes or rents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DEMI can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. An entry in the book mentions a landowner named Radulfus Demi, who held lands in Buckinghamshire.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John Demi, a knight who participated in the Seventh Crusade led by King Louis IX of France. Records show that Sir John was born around 1230 and died in 1275 during the Crusade.
Another early example is Jehan Demi, a French poet and songwriter who lived in the 14th century. He was known for composing chansons and ballades, which were popular forms of lyric poetry during that time.
During the Renaissance period, there was a Italian painter named Pietro Demi, who was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is particularly known for his religious paintings and frescoes in churches throughout northern Italy.
In the 17th century, a French mathematician and astronomer named Jean-Baptiste Demi made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was born in 1667 and died in 1736, and his work helped lay the foundations for the development of modern orbital theory.
As the name spread across Europe, it also took on various regional spellings and variations. In England, for instance, the name was sometimes spelled as Demmy or Demmie, while in Germany, it appeared as Demi or Demmi.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Demi
Among Census respondents with the surname Demi, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Demi 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 Demi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 218
- Black or African American6.1% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 5
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Demi
Demi 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
#80,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
+1 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 4,211 places
2020
#82,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 247
+11 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,928 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,208 | 235 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,419 | 236 | 0.08 | +1 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 4,211 places |
| 2020 | #82,347 | 247 | 0.08 | +11 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 1,928 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 Demi 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 | #80,419 | #82,347 | -2.4% |
| Count | 236 | 247 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Demi bearers went from 236 to 247 (+4.7% change). The surname moved down 1,928 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,419 to #82,347.
FAQ
Demi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Demi?
Name Census estimates that about 283 living Americans carry the surname Demi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,211,146 residents.
How common is Demi?
Demi ranks #82,347 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 247 people with the surname Demi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Demi.
Has Demi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Demi went from 236 recorded bearers to 247. That is an increase of 11 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #80,419 to #82,347.
What does the Census say about the background of Demi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Demi, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Demi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (218 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Demi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (6.1%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Demi (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 Demi mean?
A French surname derived from the word "demi," meaning "half." 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 Demi (0.08 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 Demi?
See how many people have the last name Demi on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.