2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Deshner
A variant spelling of the German surname Deschner, meaning someone from a place named Deschendorf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Deshner. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deshner 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Deshner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deshner
The surname Deshner is of German origin, originating in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "deschner," which referred to a person who collected tithes or taxes. The name likely emerged in the regions of modern-day Bavaria and Austria, where German dialects were widely spoken.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Deshner surname can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family by the name of Deshner who were involved in the local tax collection and administration.
In the 17th century, the name began to spread across other parts of Europe as various Deshner families migrated in search of new opportunities. Records from this time period show Deshners residing in areas such as Saxony, Silesia, and even as far as the Netherlands.
A notable figure bearing the Deshner surname was Johann Michael Deshner (1645-1712), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. His work on theological ethics and moral philosophy was widely influential during the late 17th century.
Another prominent individual was Christoph Friedrich Deshner (1732-1795), a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his satirical works critiquing societal norms and customs of the time. His collection of poems, "Epigramme und Satiren," was particularly well-received.
In the 19th century, the Deshner name appeared in various regions of the German states, with some families settling in areas like Saxony, Bavaria, and Prussia. One notable figure from this era was Friedrich Wilhelm Deshner (1807-1875), a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army and participated in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.
Another individual of note was Karl Deshner (1856-1929), a German architect who was known for his work on several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building and the Berlin Cathedral.
As the Deshner surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Deschner, Desner, and Deshener, reflecting regional linguistic differences and adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deshner
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Deshner 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 Deshner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deshner
Deshner 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-8 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,382 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 14,382 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,597 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 Deshner 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 | #134,712 | #141,309 | -4.9% |
| Count | 125 | 121 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deshner bearers went from 125 to 121 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,597 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #141,309.
FAQ
Deshner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deshner?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Deshner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Deshner?
Deshner ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Deshner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Deshner.
Has Deshner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deshner went from 125 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Deshner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Deshner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deshner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Black (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Deshner (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 Deshner mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Deschner, meaning someone from a place named Deschendorf. 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 Deshner (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 common is the surname Deshner?
If you just want to know how many people are called Deshner, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.