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

Desmedt, 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 Desmedt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Desmedt in America

Desmedt is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Desmedt surname appeared 154 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 Desmedt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Desmedt 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 Desmedt

The surname DESMEDT originated in the Flanders region of modern-day Belgium and northern France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "smedt" meaning "blacksmith" or "metalworker". The name likely referred to someone who worked as a blacksmith or a metalworker by trade.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname DESMEDT can be traced back to the 13th century in various records and documents from the region. One of the earliest known references is found in a manuscript from the town of Ghent, dated around 1250, which mentions a person named Willemus Desmedt.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in several tax records and legal documents in the cities of Bruges and Antwerp. For example, a certain Jan DESMEDT was listed as a resident of Bruges in a tax registry from 1342.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the DESMEDT surname became more widespread throughout the Low Countries, particularly in the provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders. It was also found in various records from the neighboring regions of Artois and Picardy in northern France.

One notable historical figure with the surname DESMEDT was Joos DESMEDT (c. 1520-1590), a prominent Flemish painter and engraver from Ghent. He is best known for his religious and allegorical works, as well as his engravings depicting scenes from the life of Christ.

Another noteworthy individual was Pieter DESMEDT (1598-1660), a Flemish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics. He was a professor at the University of Leuven and published several works on astronomy and mathematics.

In the 17th century, the DESMEDT surname was found in various records from the Dutch Republic, particularly in the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. This was likely due to the migration of some Flemish families to the Dutch Republic during the religious and political turmoil of the time.

One example from this period is Jan DESMEDT (1630-1695), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life and genre paintings. He was born in Middelburg, Zeeland, and his works can be found in several museums in the Netherlands and Belgium.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the DESMEDT surname continued to be prevalent in Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as in areas with Flemish and Dutch communities, such as northern France and parts of Germany.

One notable figure from this period was Auguste DESMEDT (1812-1884), a Belgian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Education in the Belgian government in the mid-19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Desmedt

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

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

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

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