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

Dessalines, 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 Dessalines surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dessalines in America

Dessalines is the 70833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dessalines surname appeared 276 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 Dessalines.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dessalines 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 Dessalines

The surname "DESSALINES" is of Haitian origin and is believed to have been derived from the name of the city of Dessalines in Haiti. The city was named after Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a key leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the former French colony of Saint-Domingue.

The surname is thought to have emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries during the period of the Haitian Revolution, which lasted from 1791 to 1804. Jean-Jacques Dessalines, born around 1758, was a former slave who rose to become a general in the Haitian revolutionary army and played a crucial role in Haiti's struggle for independence from French colonial rule.

One of the earliest known records of the surname appears in historical documents related to Jean-Jacques Dessalines himself, who was proclaimed Governor-General for Life of Haiti in 1804 after the successful revolution. He later declared himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti in 1805, but his reign was short-lived as he was assassinated in 1806.

Following the independence of Haiti, the city of Dessalines was established and named in honor of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and it is likely that his descendants and others associated with him or the city adopted the surname "DESSALINES" during this period.

Other notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname "DESSALINES" include:

1. Germain Dessalines (1788-1848), a general in the Haitian army and the son of Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
2. Louis Dessalines (1809-1867), a Haitian military officer and politician who served as President of Haiti from 1843 to 1844.
3. Henri Dessalines (1820-1890), a Haitian politician and writer who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Senate in Haiti.
4. François Dessalines (1852-1915), a Haitian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice.
5. Jacques Dessalines (1856-1923), a Haitian military officer and politician who served as President of Haiti from 1911 to 1915.

While the surname "DESSALINES" is relatively uncommon outside of Haiti, it holds significant historical importance within the country as a symbol of its hard-won independence and the legacy of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, one of the key figures in the Haitian Revolution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dessalines

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

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

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

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