Find out how popular the last name Dera is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dera.

Dera, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dera in America

Dera is the 73464th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dera surname appeared 264 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dera to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dera

The surname DERA is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern regions of modern-day India and Pakistan. The name can be traced back to the medieval era, around the 12th to 15th centuries.

One possible origin of the name DERA is derived from the Sanskrit word "dehra," which refers to a small village or settlement. This suggests that the surname may have been initially adopted by individuals hailing from a specific village or locality bearing a similar name.

Another theory suggests that DERA is a variant of the Persian word "dara," which means "valley" or "gorge." This could indicate that the name originated from families residing in or near a particular valley or mountainous region.

In the historical records of the Mughal Empire, which ruled over a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries, several mentions of individuals bearing the surname DERA can be found. One notable example is Khan Dera, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the late 16th century.

The name DERA has also been associated with various place names in the region. For instance, the city of Dera Ismail Khan, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of modern-day Pakistan, is believed to have derived its name from a historical figure named Ismail Dera.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname DERA was Chaudhry Dera Khan (1620-1675), a prominent landowner and chieftain in the Punjab region during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Another notable figure was Mir Dera Bakhsh (1725-1790), a renowned Sufi poet and mystic from the city of Multan, now in Pakistan. His poetic works, written in Persian and Punjabi, have had a lasting influence on the literary traditions of the region.

In the 19th century, Dera Nawab Khan (1835-1905) was a respected leader and landowner from the Sindh province of what is now Pakistan. He played a significant role in the local administration and was recognized for his efforts in promoting education and social welfare.

Dera Ram Chand (1860-1925) was a prominent lawyer and politician from the Punjab region during the British Raj era. He served as a member of the legislative council and was a vocal advocate for social reforms and educational initiatives.

One of the more recent figures with the surname DERA was Dera Natung (1920-1999), a renowned writer and poet from the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. His literary works, written in the Nyishi language, have contributed greatly to the preservation and promotion of the region's cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dera

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dera.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dera was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dera has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dera was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dera, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!