2000
#13,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Dennett
From the Old French place name "D'Anet," referring to someone from Anet, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,123 Americans carry the last name Dennett. That puts it at #15,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,448 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dennett 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 Dennett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,448
Census rank
#15,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,851 bearers of the surname Dennett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dennett
The surname Dennett originates from England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name "Denet" or "Daned," which was a diminutive form of the name "Daniel." The name may have also been influenced by the French surname "Denet" or "Denant."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dennett can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk from 1273, where it appears as "Denet." The name was also mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1292, where it was spelled "Denet."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as "Dennet," "Dennett," and "Denette." This variation in spelling was common during that period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
The Dennett surname has been associated with several place names in England, such as Dennet in Cornwall and Dennett's Isle in Norfolk. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable individual with the surname Dennett was Sir John Dennett (c. 1615-1685), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Andover from 1660 to 1679. Another prominent figure was Daniel Dennett (born 1942), an American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist known for his work on the philosophy of mind and evolutionary theory.
Other notable individuals with the Dennett surname include:
1. John Dennett (1790-1866), an English cricketer who played for Hampshire.
2. Mary Andrews Dennett (1872-1947), an American birth control activist and sex educator.
3. Daniel Clement Dennett (1828-1918), an American politician who served as the 61st Governor of Vermont from 1909 to 1911.
4. George Dennett (1863-1949), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire.
5. Roger Dennett (born 1957), an English footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs, including Ipswich Town and Norwich City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dennett
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dennett 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 Dennett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 1,508
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 165
- Black or African American4.5% · 83
- Two or more races3.8% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dennett
Dennett 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
#12,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,462
+404 bearers (+19.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 964 places
2020
#15,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,851
-611 bearers (-24.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 2,697 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,540 | 2,058 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,576 | 2,462 | 0.83 | +404 bearers (+19.6%) | Up 964 places |
| 2020 | #15,273 | 1,851 | 0.62 | -611 bearers (-24.8%) | Down 2,697 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 Dennett 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 | #12,576 | #15,273 | -21.4% |
| Count | 2,462 | 1,851 | -24.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.62 | -25.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dennett bearers went from 2,462 to 1,851 (-24.8% change). The surname moved down 2,697 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,576 to #15,273.
FAQ
Dennett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dennett?
Name Census estimates that about 2,123 living Americans carry the surname Dennett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,448 residents.
How common is Dennett?
Dennett ranks #15,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,851 people with the surname Dennett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Dennett.
Has Dennett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dennett went from 2,462 recorded bearers to 1,851. That is a decrease of 611 (-24.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,576 to #15,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Dennett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (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 Dennett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (1,508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dennett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (8.9%), Black (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 Dennett (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 Dennett mean?
From the Old French place name "D'Anet," referring to someone from Anet, France. 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 Dennett (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Dennett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.