2000
#6,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,205
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Demoss
Derived from the French place name Démos, likely referring to someone who originated from this location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,055 Americans carry the last name Demoss. That puts it at #6,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Demoss 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
6.1K
1 in 56,607
Census rank
#6,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,280 bearers of the surname Demoss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Demoss, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Demoss
The surname DEMOSS is believed to have originated from a combination of the French prefix "de" meaning "from" and the word "moss" referring to a peat bog or marshy area. This suggests that the name likely has roots in regions of France where mossy, wetland areas were prevalent.
One of the earliest known references to the name DEMOSS can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. Historical records indicate that a family bearing this surname resided in a hamlet near the town of Caen, situated in the marshlands along the Orne River.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the name such as "de Mosse" and "de Mousse" appeared in medieval church records and land charters across northern France. This evolution in spellings reflects the linguistic shifts and regional dialects of the time.
In the 16th century, the DEMOSS name gained prominence when Jean DEMOSS, a merchant from Rouen, established a successful trading company that exported goods throughout Europe. His entrepreneurial success elevated the family's status and wealth.
Another notable figure with the DEMOSS surname was Pierre DEMOSS, a French soldier born in 1621, who fought bravely in the Thirty Years' War. His courageous actions earned him recognition and a small estate in the village of Boissy-l'Aillerie, near Paris.
As French settlers began to explore and colonize the New World, the DEMOSS name made its way across the Atlantic. One of the earliest recorded instances was in 1685, when Jacques DEMOSS, a farmer from Brittany, arrived in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada) with his family.
In the 18th century, Marie-Anne DEMOSS, born in 1734 in Lyon, France, gained notoriety as a skilled embroiderer and seamstress. Her intricate needlework adorned the gowns of French nobility, and her talents were highly sought after by the aristocracy.
Throughout the centuries, the DEMOSS surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, soldiers, artisans, and farmers. While its origins can be traced back to the marshy regions of northern France, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by those who ventured forth in search of new opportunities and horizons.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Demoss
Among Census respondents with the surname Demoss, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Demoss 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 Demoss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 4,500
- Black or African American4.9% · 257
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 239
- Two or more races3.9% · 207
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Demoss
Demoss 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
#6,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,399
+194 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 245 places
2020
#6,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,280
-119 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,078 | 5,205 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,323 | 5,399 | 1.83 | +194 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 245 places |
| 2020 | #6,211 | 5,280 | 1.77 | -119 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 112 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 Demoss 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 | #6,323 | #6,211 | 1.8% |
| Count | 5,399 | 5,280 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.77 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Demoss bearers went from 5,399 to 5,280 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,323 to #6,211.
FAQ
Demoss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Demoss?
Name Census estimates that about 6,055 living Americans carry the surname Demoss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,607 residents.
How common is Demoss?
Demoss ranks #6,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.77 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 5,280 people with the surname Demoss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,055), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.77 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 Demoss.
Has Demoss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Demoss went from 5,399 recorded bearers to 5,280. That is a decrease of 119 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,323 to #6,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Demoss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Demoss, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Demoss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (4,500 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Demoss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (4.9%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Demoss (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 Demoss mean?
Derived from the French place name Démos, likely referring to someone who originated from this location. 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 Demoss (1.77 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 Demoss?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Demoss, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.