2000
#7,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,835
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Densmore
From the place name Dundemore, derived from Gaelic elements meaning "fort of the great man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,293 Americans carry the last name Densmore. That puts it at #8,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,840 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Densmore 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
4.3K
1 in 79,840
Census rank
#8,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,744 bearers of the surname Densmore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Densmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Densmore
The surname Densmore has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "dene," meaning a valley or hollow, and "mor," meaning a moor or marsh. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone who lived in a valley near a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mention a William de Denemore from Oxfordshire. The spelling variations at the time included Denesmor, Densmore, and de Denamor.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a John Denesmor was listed as a taxpayer in 1327. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the West Midlands region of England during that period.
The Densmore family has a historical connection to the village of Densmore in Staffordshire, which may have served as a place of origin for some branches of the family. The name of the village itself is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dene" and "mor," further reinforcing the surname's linguistic roots.
Notable individuals bearing the Densmore surname include William Densmore (1615-1694), one of the early settlers of Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. He is considered a founding father of the island's whaling industry.
James Densmore (1707-1789) was a prominent landowner and militia officer in Windham County, Connecticut, during the American Revolutionary War era. He participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill and served as a lieutenant in the Continental Army.
Henry Densmore (1819-1891) was an American businessman and politician from New York. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was actively involved in the expansion of railroads in the region.
Edward Dana Densmore (1838-1900) was an American ethnologist and scholar best known for his pioneering work in studying and preserving Native American music and culture. He worked closely with the Chippewa and Sioux tribes and published numerous books and recordings.
Emmet Densmore (1898-1972) was a Canadian-American film director and producer active in the early years of Hollywood. He directed several notable films in the 1920s and 1930s, including "The Midnight Taxi" and "The Final Edition."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Densmore
Among Census respondents with the surname Densmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Densmore 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 Densmore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 3,211
- Black or African American5.9% · 222
- Two or more races3.6% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Densmore
Densmore 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
#8,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,971
+136 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 344 places
2020
#8,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,744
-227 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,995 | 3,835 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,339 | 3,971 | 1.35 | +136 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 344 places |
| 2020 | #8,465 | 3,744 | 1.25 | -227 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 126 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 Densmore 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 | #8,339 | #8,465 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,971 | 3,744 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.25 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Densmore bearers went from 3,971 to 3,744 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,339 to #8,465.
FAQ
Densmore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Densmore?
Name Census estimates that about 4,293 living Americans carry the surname Densmore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,840 residents.
How common is Densmore?
Densmore ranks #8,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,744 people with the surname Densmore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,293), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Densmore.
Has Densmore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Densmore went from 3,971 recorded bearers to 3,744. That is a decrease of 227 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,339 to #8,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Densmore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Densmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Densmore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (3,211 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Densmore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Densmore (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 Densmore mean?
From the place name Dundemore, derived from Gaelic elements meaning "fort of the great man." 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 Densmore (1.25 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 Densmore?
You can see how many people are called Densmore on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.