2000
#5,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Deming
Derived from a place name meaning "the people" or "of the people" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,902 Americans carry the last name Deming. That puts it at #6,352 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deming 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
5.9K
1 in 58,074
Census rank
#6,352
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,147 bearers of the surname Deming in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6352nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deming, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deming
The surname Deming is of English origin, first appearing in various historical records during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "deming," which means "judge" or "arbiter." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who held a position of authority, perhaps a local magistrate or legal official.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Deming name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation across much of England and parts of Wales. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Deming," "Deminge," and "Demyng," reflecting the fluidity of surnames during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Sir John Deming was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which were records of landholdings and legal proceedings. Sir John Deming held lands in the county and was likely a local nobleman or knight.
During the late Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the Deming name continued to appear in various historical documents, often associated with certain areas of England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire.
One prominent individual with the Deming surname was Thomas Deming (c. 1600-1673), who was one of the early settlers of the Connecticut Colony in New England. He was born in England and immigrated to America in the 1630s, becoming one of the founders of the town of Wethersfield, Connecticut.
Another notable figure was Sir Ralph Deming (1636-1711), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Buckingham in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, John Deming (1735-1804) was a prominent American Revolutionary War soldier and politician, serving as a member of the Connecticut General Assembly and as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
Benjamin Deming (1787-1865) was an American politician and lawyer from Vermont, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives in the mid-19th century.
William Deming (1880-1965) was an influential American engineer and statistician, known for his work in quality control and the development of the Deming System of Profound Knowledge. His contributions to management and quality improvement had a significant impact on modern industrial practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deming
Among Census respondents with the surname Deming, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Deming 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 Deming surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 4,700
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 182
- Two or more races3.2% · 164
- Black or African American0.8% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deming
Deming 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
#6,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,482
+97 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 346 places
2020
#6,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,147
-335 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,889 | 5,385 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,235 | 5,482 | 1.86 | +97 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 346 places |
| 2020 | #6,352 | 5,147 | 1.72 | -335 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 117 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 Deming 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 | #6,235 | #6,352 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,482 | 5,147 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.72 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deming bearers went from 5,482 to 5,147 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,235 to #6,352.
FAQ
Deming surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deming?
Name Census estimates that about 5,902 living Americans carry the surname Deming. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,074 residents.
How common is Deming?
Deming ranks #6,352 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 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 5,147 people with the surname Deming. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,902), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 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 Deming.
Has Deming become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deming went from 5,482 recorded bearers to 5,147. That is a decrease of 335 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,235 to #6,352.
What does the Census say about the background of Deming?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deming, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Deming in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (4,700 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deming appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Deming (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 Deming mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the people" or "of the people" in Old English. 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 Deming (1.72 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 have the surname Deming?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.