2000
#5,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,869
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Denman
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,625 Americans carry the last name Denman. That puts it at #5,778 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,737 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denman 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 Denman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 51,737
Census rank
#5,778
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,777 bearers of the surname Denman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5778th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denman
The surname DENMAN originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from places called Denham or Denholme in various counties across England. The name is thought to come from the Old English words "denu" meaning a valley and "ham" meaning a homestead or settlement.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Denham". This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, a DENMAN named William was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1196. Another early bearer of the name was John DENMAN, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1221.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also associated with places like Denham in Buckinghamshire and Denholme in Yorkshire. The spellings "Denham" and "Denholme" were sometimes used interchangeably with DENMAN in historical records from this period.
A notable figure in the history of the DENMAN name was Sir John DENMAN (1615-1639), who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton in Somerset during the English Civil War. Another prominent DENMAN was Thomas DENMAN (1779-1854), a British lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1832 to 1850.
Other historical figures with the surname DENMAN include William DENMAN (1784-1870), an English chemist and philosopher; Richard DENMAN (1776-1857), a British naval officer; and Joseph DENMAN (1779-1833), an English surgeon and medical writer.
Throughout its history, the DENMAN name has remained strongly associated with its English roots and has been carried to various parts of the world by migration and settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denman
Among Census respondents with the surname Denman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Denman 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 Denman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 4,881
- Black or African American7.4% · 427
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 214
- Two or more races3.2% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denman
Denman 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
#5,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,133
+264 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#5,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,777
-356 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,452 | 5,869 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,660 | 6,133 | 2.08 | +264 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #5,778 | 5,777 | 1.93 | -356 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 118 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 Denman 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 | #5,660 | #5,778 | -2.1% |
| Count | 6,133 | 5,777 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.93 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denman bearers went from 6,133 to 5,777 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,660 to #5,778.
FAQ
Denman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denman?
Name Census estimates that about 6,625 living Americans carry the surname Denman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,737 residents.
How common is Denman?
Denman ranks #5,778 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.93 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 5,777 people with the surname Denman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.93 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 Denman.
Has Denman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denman went from 6,133 recorded bearers to 5,777. That is a decrease of 356 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,660 to #5,778.
What does the Census say about the background of Denman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Denman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (4,881 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (7.4%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Denman (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 Denman mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a valley. 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 Denman (1.93 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 Denman?
You can see how many people have the surname Denman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.