2000
#12,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,304
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Deshields
Of Norman French origin, referring to someone who came from Eschailles in Pas-de-Calais, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,861 Americans carry the last name Deshields. That puts it at #11,971 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,802 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deshields 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
2.9K
1 in 119,802
Census rank
#11,971
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,495 bearers of the surname Deshields in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11971st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshields, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.9%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deshields
The surname DESHIELDS is believed to have originated in France, derived from the Old French phrase "de chields" or "des chields," meaning "of the shields" or "from the shields." This name likely emerged during the medieval period, possibly referring to individuals who were involved in the production, maintenance, or use of shields in warfare or heraldry.
The earliest recorded instances of the name DESHIELDS can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of northern France, such as Normandy and Picardy. It is possible that the name was initially adopted by families who resided near or were associated with locations bearing similar names, like the village of Chields or Shields.
One of the earliest known references to the name DESHIELDS can be found in the "Livre des Métiers" (Book of Trades), a medieval document from Paris dating back to the late 13th century. This text lists various professions and trades, including individuals identified as "des chields" or shield makers.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name DESHIELDS began to appear in various records and manuscripts across different parts of France. One notable example is Jacques DESHIELDS, a knight from Normandy who participated in the Hundred Years' War against England, serving under King Charles VI in the late 14th century.
As the name spread throughout France, it underwent various spelling variations, such as DeShields, DeShield, and Deshield. These variations often reflected regional differences in pronunciation and scribal practices.
In the 16th century, the DESHIELDS name gained prominence with the birth of Henri DESHIELDS (1523-1589), a renowned French poet and playwright from Paris. His works, including the famous play "Les Amours de Vénus et Adonis," brought recognition to the family name.
Another notable figure bearing the DESHIELDS surname was Marie DESHIELDS (1640-1718), a French noblewoman and influential courtier during the reign of King Louis XIV. She is remembered for her role in the cultural and literary circles of the time, as well as her patronage of the arts.
As the centuries passed, members of the DESHIELDS family continued to make their mark in various fields, including military service, academia, and the arts. For instance, Jean-Baptiste DESHIELDS (1712-1786) was a renowned French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris and its surrounding regions.
It is important to note that while the name DESHIELDS has a rich history rooted in medieval France, its prevalence and distribution have likely expanded over time due to migration and intermarriage with other families across different regions and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deshields
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshields, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.9%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Deshields 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 Deshields surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.9% · 1,519
- White24.7% · 617
- Two or more races7.8% · 195
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 135
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deshields
Deshields 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
#11,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,688
+384 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 704 places
2020
#11,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,495
-193 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,367 | 2,304 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,663 | 2,688 | 0.91 | +384 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 704 places |
| 2020 | #11,971 | 2,495 | 0.83 | -193 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 308 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 Deshields 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 | #11,663 | #11,971 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,688 | 2,495 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.83 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deshields bearers went from 2,688 to 2,495 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 308 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,663 to #11,971.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Deshields
FAQ
Deshields surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deshields?
Name Census estimates that about 2,861 living Americans carry the surname Deshields. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,802 residents.
How common is Deshields?
Deshields ranks #11,971 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,495 people with the surname Deshields. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,861), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Deshields.
Has Deshields become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deshields went from 2,688 recorded bearers to 2,495. That is a decrease of 193 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,663 to #11,971.
What does the Census say about the background of Deshields?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshields, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.9%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (7.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Deshields in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (1,519 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deshields appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.9%), White (24.7%), Two or More Races (7.8%). 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 Deshields (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 Deshields mean?
Of Norman French origin, referring to someone who came from Eschailles in Pas-de-Calais, France. 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 Deshields (0.83 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 last name Deshields?
See how common the surname Deshields is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.