2000
#28,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 773
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Denver
An American surname derived from the name of the city of Denver, Colorado.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 891 Americans carry the last name Denver. That puts it at #31,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 384,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denver 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 Denver with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
891
1 in 384,685
Census rank
#31,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
777
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 777 bearers of the surname Denver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denver, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denver
The surname Denver is of English origin, derived from the name of the city of Denver in England. The name first appeared in historical records in the late 12th century, likely referring to someone who hailed from the town of Denver in Norfolk, England.
The name Denver is thought to be derived from the Old English words "dene" meaning a valley, and "fara" meaning a traveler or explorer. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who traveled through or inhabited a particular valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Denver is found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, dated 1199. These were records of financial transactions and accounts kept by the English Crown during the reign of King Richard I.
In the 13th century, a Robert de Denver was listed as a tenant in the manor of Cranworth in Norfolk, according to the records of the Hundred Rolls of 1273. This suggests the Denver family had established themselves as landowners in the region by this time.
An early notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Denver, who served as a member of Parliament for Norfolk in 1339 during the reign of King Edward III. He was also appointed as the Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1344.
Another significant figure with the surname Denver was Thomas Denver, who was born in 1504 in Norfolk. He was a prominent member of the Protestant Reformation movement and served as a chaplain to King Henry VIII and later to King Edward VI.
In the 17th century, Walter Denver, born in 1615 in Norfolk, was a notable English politician and served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk from 1660 to 1679 during the reign of King Charles II.
The surname Denver has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Denver Priory in Norfolk, which was a Benedictine monastery founded in the 12th century, and Denver Sluice, a significant drainage channel in the Fens region of eastern England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denver
Among Census respondents with the surname Denver, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Denver 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 Denver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 650
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 47
- Two or more races3.9% · 30
- Black or African American2.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denver
Denver 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
#36,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 609
-164 bearers (-21.2%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 7,748 places
2020
#31,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 777
+168 bearers (+27.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 4,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,947 | 773 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,695 | 609 | 0.21 | -164 bearers (-21.2%) | Down 7,748 places |
| 2020 | #31,863 | 777 | 0.26 | +168 bearers (+27.6%) | Up 4,832 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 Denver 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 | #36,695 | #31,863 | 13.2% |
| Count | 609 | 777 | 27.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.26 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denver bearers went from 609 to 777 (+27.6% change). The surname moved up 4,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,695 to #31,863.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Denver
FAQ
Denver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denver?
Name Census estimates that about 891 living Americans carry the surname Denver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 384,685 residents.
How common is Denver?
Denver ranks #31,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 777 people with the surname Denver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (891), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Denver.
Has Denver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denver went from 609 recorded bearers to 777. That is an increase of 168 (+27.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,695 to #31,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Denver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denver, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Denver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (650 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Denver (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 Denver mean?
An American surname derived from the name of the city of Denver, Colorado. 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 Denver (0.26 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 Denver?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.