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

DeShay, 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 DeShay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeShay in America

DeShay is the 56836th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeShay surname appeared 359 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 DeShay.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeShay 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 DeShay

The surname DESHAY is of French origin, traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old French word "deschay," meaning "to fall" or "to decline." This name was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone who had a tendency to stumble or was clumsy.

In the early 13th century, the name appeared in several historical records in the region of Normandy, France. One of the earliest documented mentions was in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor, a collection of charters from the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille, dated around 1220.

The DESHAY surname has been found in various spellings throughout history, including Dechay, Dechaye, and Decheys, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Deshay, a French nobleman born in 1325 in the village of Rouen, Normandy. He served as a knight under King Philip VI during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable figure was Jeanne Deshay, a French midwife born in 1492 in Paris. She gained recognition for her contributions to the field of obstetrics and is mentioned in several medical texts from the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the DESHAY name appeared in the records of the French settlement in Quebec, Canada. One of the earliest recorded immigrants was Pierre Deshay, who arrived in 1656 and established a farm in the Côte-de-Beaupré region.

During the 18th century, the DESHAY name was found in various regions of France, including Brittany and Burgundy. One notable individual was Étienne Deshay, a French playwright born in 1732 in Paris, who wrote several popular comedies during the Enlightenment period.

In the 19th century, the DESHAY surname was also present in the United States. One notable American bearer of the name was William Deshay, a Union Army soldier born in 1842 in New York, who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeShay

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

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 DeShay 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 DeShay 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 DeShay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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