2000
#11,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Deskins
Derived from a place name meaning "the kin or family of someone called Dennis."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,879 Americans carry the last name Deskins. That puts it at #11,914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deskins 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 119,053
Census rank
#11,914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,511 bearers of the surname Deskins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deskins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deskins
The surname DESKINS is of English origin, emerging in the early 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "disce," meaning a dish or platter, and the suffix "-kin," a diminutive form indicating a small or little one. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who worked with dishes or platters, perhaps a dishmaker or a servant responsible for serving meals.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the county of Yorkshire in northern England. In the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, there is a reference to a John Disshekyn, which is likely an early spelling variation of DESKINS. This indicates that the name was already in use by the early 14th century.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the DESKINS surname was William Deskyns, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379. This record provides valuable insight into the geographical origins of the name and its early spelling variations.
Over the centuries, the DESKINS surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Deskins, Diskins, Diskyn, and Diskeyn. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping practices during the medieval and early modern periods.
In the late 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Parish of St. Dunstan in the East, London, where a William Deskins was baptized in 1592. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its Yorkshire roots and had established a presence in the capital city.
Notable individuals with the DESKINS surname include:
1. John Deskins (c. 1570-1638), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers in London.
2. Elizabeth Deskins (1625-1692), a Quaker preacher and author from Berkshire, England.
3. Thomas Deskins (1678-1744), a wealthy landowner and justice of the peace in Lincolnshire, England.
4. Jonathan Deskins (1720-1795), an English soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
5. Mary Deskins (1795-1872), a philanthropist and founder of the Deskins Orphanage in Yorkshire.
While the DESKINS surname may not have the same historical prominence as some other English surnames, it has a rich and traceable history that spans several centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the early 14th century in Yorkshire, and it has since spread throughout England and beyond, with various spelling variations reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deskins
Among Census respondents with the surname Deskins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Deskins 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 Deskins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 2,170
- Black or African American4.5% · 113
- Two or more races4.3% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deskins
Deskins 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
#11,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,659
+134 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 337 places
2020
#11,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
-148 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,446 | 2,525 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,783 | 2,659 | 0.90 | +134 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 337 places |
| 2020 | #11,914 | 2,511 | 0.84 | -148 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 131 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 Deskins 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 | #11,783 | #11,914 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,659 | 2,511 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.84 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deskins bearers went from 2,659 to 2,511 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,783 to #11,914.
FAQ
Deskins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deskins?
Name Census estimates that about 2,879 living Americans carry the surname Deskins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,053 residents.
How common is Deskins?
Deskins ranks #11,914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,511 people with the surname Deskins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Deskins.
Has Deskins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deskins went from 2,659 recorded bearers to 2,511. That is a decrease of 148 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,783 to #11,914.
What does the Census say about the background of Deskins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deskins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Deskins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (2,170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deskins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Deskins (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 Deskins mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the kin or family of someone called Dennis." 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 Deskins (0.84 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 are called Deskins?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Deskins on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.