2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Desjean
From the French "des Jeans", meaning "of the Jeans" or "from Jeanne".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Desjean. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desjean 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Desjean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desjean, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Desjean
The surname Desjean is of French origin, deriving from the Old French word "des jeans" which translates to "of the youths" or "of the young men." This surname likely originated in the northern regions of France during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the Desjean surname can be traced back to a document from 1327 in the town of Rouen, Normandy. This document mentions a local landowner named Jean Desjean. It is possible that the name originally referred to a household or estate managed by young men or servants.
In the 15th century, the Desjean name appeared in several historical records from the Picardy region of northern France. One notable mention is a Jacques Desjean, a merchant and alderman in the city of Amiens, who lived from approximately 1420 to 1485.
During the 16th century, the surname Desjean spread to other parts of France, including Paris and the surrounding areas. A prominent figure from this time was Étienne Desjean, a renowned French jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1532 to 1592. He served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris and wrote several influential works on French civil law.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Desjean family settled in the Champagne region of northeastern France. One notable member was Pierre Desjean, a wealthy winemaker and vineyard owner from Épernay, who lived from 1635 to 1702. His vineyards were among the first to produce the sparkling wines that would later become known as Champagne.
Another significant figure with the Desjean surname was Antoine Desjean, a French military officer and engineer who lived from 1720 to 1787. He served in the French Army during the Seven Years' War and was responsible for designing and constructing several fortifications along the French-German border.
Throughout its history, the Desjean surname has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Desjeanville, a small village in the Eure-et-Loir department, and Desjeanmontagne, a hamlet in the Vosges region. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Desjean surname who settled in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desjean
Among Census respondents with the surname Desjean, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Desjean 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 Desjean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 104
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desjean
Desjean 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+24 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,843 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +24 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 14,843 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,435 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 Desjean 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 | #135,593 | #145,028 | -7.0% |
| Count | 124 | 116 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desjean bearers went from 124 to 116 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,435 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #145,028.
FAQ
Desjean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desjean?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Desjean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Desjean?
Desjean ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Desjean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Desjean.
Has Desjean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desjean went from 124 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Desjean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desjean, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (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 Desjean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desjean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Black (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 Desjean (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 Desjean mean?
From the French "des Jeans", meaning "of the Jeans" or "from Jeanne". 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 Desjean (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 many Americans have the surname Desjean?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.