2000
#7,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,089
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Depriest
An occupational surname referring to a priest or someone who worked in a priestly capacity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,567 Americans carry the last name Depriest. That puts it at #7,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Depriest 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
4.6K
1 in 75,050
Census rank
#7,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,983 bearers of the surname Depriest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Depriest, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Depriest
The surname DEPRIEST has its origins in France and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "prestr," which means "priest." This name was likely given to someone who worked closely with the church or was a member of the clergy.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was spelled "de Prestr" or "de Prestre," with the prefix "de" indicating the person's place of origin or residence. This naming convention was common in medieval France and other parts of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name DEPRIEST can be found in the Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a "Robertus de Prestre" who was a witness to a land transaction in the year 1192.
Another notable early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1198, where a "Willelmus de Prestre" is listed as owing taxes to the Crown.
In the 13th century, the name started to appear in various forms, such as "de Prest," "de Preste," and "de Preist." These variations reflect the evolving spelling practices of the time and the influence of regional dialects.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname DEPRIEST was Peter de Prestre, born around 1220 in Normandy, France. He was a prominent member of the local gentry and served as a knight in the service of the French Crown.
Another notable figure was Jean de Prest, a French poet and troubadour born in 1265 in Provence. His collection of love poems, known as the "Chansonnier de Jean de Prest," is considered an important work of medieval French literature.
In England, one of the earliest recorded uses of the name DEPRIEST can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a "Johannes de Preyst" as a taxpayer.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent further transformations and adaptations. In Germany, the surname took the form "Priester," while in Italy, it became "Preti" or "Prete."
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname DEPRIEST, including:
1. Jehan de Prest (c. 1320 - 1390), a French military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
2. Pierre de Prestre (c. 1430 - 1498), a French architect and sculptor known for his work on the Cathedral of Rouen.
3. Johan Priester (c. 1550 - 1617), a German Lutheran theologian and author of several religious treatises.
4. William De Priest (1629 - 1702), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
5. Marie-Anne de Pretre (1705 - 1782), a French painter and portraitist who was active in the court of King Louis XV.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Depriest
Among Census respondents with the surname Depriest, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Depriest 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 Depriest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 3,114
- Black or African American12.2% · 486
- Two or more races5.3% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Depriest
Depriest 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
#7,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,287
+198 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#7,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,983
-304 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,509 | 4,089 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,744 | 4,287 | 1.45 | +198 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #7,974 | 3,983 | 1.33 | -304 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 230 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 Depriest 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 | #7,744 | #7,974 | -3.0% |
| Count | 4,287 | 3,983 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.33 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Depriest bearers went from 4,287 to 3,983 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 230 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,744 to #7,974.
FAQ
Depriest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Depriest?
Name Census estimates that about 4,567 living Americans carry the surname Depriest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,050 residents.
How common is Depriest?
Depriest ranks #7,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,983 people with the surname Depriest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,567), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Depriest.
Has Depriest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Depriest went from 4,287 recorded bearers to 3,983. That is a decrease of 304 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,744 to #7,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Depriest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Depriest, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Depriest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (3,114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Depriest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Black (12.2%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Depriest (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 Depriest mean?
An occupational surname referring to a priest or someone who worked in a priestly capacity. 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 Depriest (1.33 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 Depriest?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.