2000
#11,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Demuth
A German occupational surname referring to a courageous or bold person, derived from the Middle High German "diemuot".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,972 Americans carry the last name Demuth. That puts it at #11,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,328 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Demuth 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Demuth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,328
Census rank
#11,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,592 bearers of the surname Demuth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Demuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Demuth
The surname DEMUTH has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "de muot," meaning "the courageous one" or "the bold one." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who displayed bravery or determination.
The earliest recorded instances of the DEMUTH surname can be found in various medieval documents from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable example is a reference to a "Heinrich Demuth" in a 13th-century land registry from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the form "Demudt" in the records of the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg. This variation likely resulted from regional dialects and scribal variations in spelling.
The DEMUTH surname spread across different parts of Germany over the centuries. By the 16th century, it had become well-established in areas such as Franconia, Swabia, and the Rhineland.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this surname was Johannes Demuth, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1561. His works, primarily depicting religious subjects, can be found in various churches and museums throughout Germany.
Another notable figure was Johann Christian Demuth, a German-born American painter and printmaker who lived from 1892 to 1960. He was a leading figure in the Precisionist art movement and is renowned for his industrial landscapes and still-life paintings.
In the realm of literature, Hans Demuth was a German novelist and playwright who lived from 1892 to 1940. His works, often exploring themes of social critique and psychological depth, made significant contributions to the literary landscape of the early 20th century.
The DEMUTH surname also spread beyond Germany's borders over time. For instance, in the 17th century, records show a "Peter Demuth" residing in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where he worked as a merchant.
In the 19th century, the name can be found in records from various regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, likely due to the migration of German-speaking populations within the empire's borders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Demuth
Among Census respondents with the surname Demuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Demuth 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 Demuth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,374
- Two or more races3.7% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Demuth
Demuth 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
#11,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,643
+7 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 783 places
2020
#11,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,592
-51 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,060 | 2,636 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,843 | 2,643 | 0.90 | +7 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 783 places |
| 2020 | #11,594 | 2,592 | 0.87 | -51 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 249 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 Demuth 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 | #11,843 | #11,594 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,643 | 2,592 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.87 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Demuth bearers went from 2,643 to 2,592 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,843 to #11,594.
FAQ
Demuth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Demuth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,972 living Americans carry the surname Demuth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,328 residents.
How common is Demuth?
Demuth ranks #11,594 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 2,592 people with the surname Demuth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,972), 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 Demuth.
Has Demuth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Demuth went from 2,643 recorded bearers to 2,592. That is a decrease of 51 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,843 to #11,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Demuth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Demuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Demuth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Demuth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Demuth (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 Demuth mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a courageous or bold person, derived from the Middle High German "diemuot". 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 Demuth (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 many people are called Demuth?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Demuth at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.