2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Deojay
A surname potentially derived from the Hindi phrase "Deo Jaya" meaning "victory to the gods."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Deojay. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deojay 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Deojay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deojay, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deojay
The surname DEOJAY has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Punjab. It is believed to have emerged during the 16th century, a time when the Mughal Empire ruled over a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words "deo," meaning "divine" or "celestial," and "jay," which translates to "victory" or "triumph."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DEOJAY can be found in the annals of the Sikh Empire, established by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century. During this time, the name was associated with several prominent figures who played crucial roles in the region's history. One such individual was Bhai Deojay Singh, a renowned warrior and military strategist who served under the command of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
The DEOJAY surname has also been linked to various place names within the Punjab region. For instance, the village of Deojai, located in the district of Gurdaspur, is believed to have been named after an individual bearing the DEOJAY surname. Similarly, the town of Deojay Nagar, situated in the district of Amritsar, is thought to have been named after a notable figure with the same surname.
Throughout the centuries, the DEOJAY surname has been carried by several influential individuals. One notable example is Baba Deojay Singh, a revered Sikh spiritual leader who lived in the 18th century and played a significant role in the preservation and propagation of Sikh teachings. Another prominent figure was Bhai Deojay Singh Bhandari, a celebrated poet and scholar who lived during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and authored numerous literary works.
In more recent times, the DEOJAY surname has been associated with several accomplished individuals. Dr. Gurmeet Singh Deojay, born in 1942, was a renowned physicist and educator who made significant contributions to the field of particle physics. Rajinder Singh Deojay, born in 1955, is a distinguished writer and playwright who has received numerous accolades for his literary works.
Additionally, the name DEOJAY has been carried by notable figures in various fields, such as Kuldeep Singh Deojay, a prominent agricultural scientist, and Harjinder Singh Deojay, a celebrated artist known for his intricate and vibrant paintings depicting Sikh history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deojay
Among Census respondents with the surname Deojay, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Deojay 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 Deojay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 88
- Two or more races10.4% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deojay
Deojay appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2,944 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 Deojay 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 | #149,395 | #152,339 | -2.0% |
| Count | 110 | 106 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deojay bearers went from 110 to 106 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,339.
FAQ
Deojay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deojay?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Deojay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Deojay?
Deojay ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Deojay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Deojay.
Has Deojay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deojay went from 110 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Deojay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deojay, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Deojay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deojay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Two or More Races (10.4%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Deojay (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 Deojay mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Hindi phrase "Deo Jaya" meaning "victory to the gods." 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 Deojay (0.04 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 have the surname Deojay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.