2000
#11,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,472
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Demott
French occupational surname for a harvester or reaper, derived from the Old French word "mote" meaning "harvest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,659 Americans carry the last name Demott. That puts it at #12,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Demott 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
2.7K
1 in 128,903
Census rank
#12,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,319 bearers of the surname Demott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Demott, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Demott
The surname DEMOTT has its origins in the Netherlands, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "mot" meaning "moth" or "small butterfly." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive surname, perhaps referring to an ancestor's occupation or personal characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DEMOTT can be found in the Dutch baptismal records of 1585, where the name appears as "de Mot." Over time, the spelling evolved, with variations such as "DeMot" and "de Mott" appearing in different regions of the Netherlands.
In the 17th century, the DEMOTT name began to spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch settlers migrated to other parts of Europe and the New World. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johannes DEMOTT, a merchant from Amsterdam who established trade routes in the West Indies in the 1630s.
As the Dutch established colonies in North America, the DEMOTT name was carried across the Atlantic. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World is Jacob DEMOTT, a settler who arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in 1648.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the DEMOTT name continued to appear in various historical records and documents. Peter DEMOTT (1718-1792) was a prominent landowner and military officer in the American Revolutionary War. Rachel DEMOTT (1765-1841) was a Quaker minister and abolitionist active in Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the DEMOTT surname include:
1. Hendrik DEMOTT (1840-1912), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
2. Gertrude DEMOTT (1876-1958), an American educator and advocate for women's rights.
3. William DEMOTT (1897-1981), a British author and journalist who covered World War II.
4. Jean DEMOTT (1918-2005), a French resistance fighter during World War II.
5. Robert DEMOTT (born 1943), an American literary critic and professor of English literature.
While the DEMOTT name has Dutch roots, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals with diverse backgrounds and accomplishments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Demott
Among Census respondents with the surname Demott, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Demott 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 Demott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,079
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 100
- Two or more races4.3% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Demott
Demott 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
#12,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
+39 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 750 places
2020
#12,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,319
-192 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 320 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,639 | 2,472 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,389 | 2,511 | 0.85 | +39 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 750 places |
| 2020 | #12,709 | 2,319 | 0.78 | -192 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 320 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 Demott 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 | #12,389 | #12,709 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,511 | 2,319 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.78 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Demott bearers went from 2,511 to 2,319 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 320 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,389 to #12,709.
FAQ
Demott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Demott?
Name Census estimates that about 2,659 living Americans carry the surname Demott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,903 residents.
How common is Demott?
Demott ranks #12,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,319 people with the surname Demott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,659), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Demott.
Has Demott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Demott went from 2,511 recorded bearers to 2,319. That is a decrease of 192 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,389 to #12,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Demott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Demott, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Demott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Demott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Demott (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 Demott mean?
French occupational surname for a harvester or reaper, derived from the Old French word "mote" meaning "harvest." 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 Demott (0.78 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 Demott?
Find out how many people have the last name Demott on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.