2000
#13,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Devane
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Daimhín, meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (a personal name meaning "fawn" or "poet").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,234 Americans carry the last name Devane. That puts it at #14,666 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devane 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Devane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,426
Census rank
#14,666
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,948 bearers of the surname Devane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14666th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devane, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devane
The surname DEVANE is of Irish origin, traced back to the 16th century in County Cork, Ireland. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó Daimhín, which means "descendant of Daimhín," an Irish personal name derived from the word "daimh," meaning "ox" or "steer."
The earliest recorded spelling of the name DEVANE in Ireland dates back to 1601, when it appeared in the "Fiants of Elizabeth I" as "O'Davine." This document was a record of royal pardons and grants made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the surname DEVANE was found in various Irish records, including the "Census of Ireland" of 1659, where it was listed as a principal Irish family name in County Cork. The name was also mentioned in the "Hearth Money Rolls" of 1665, which recorded households and their tax assessments.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the DEVANE surname was John Devane (1805-1867), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who served as the first President of the Jesuit-run St. Ignatius College in San Francisco, California.
Another prominent figure was John O'Devane (1820-1907), an Irish-born journalist and newspaper editor who worked for various publications in New York City, including The Irish World and American Industrial Liberator.
In the 19th century, the surname DEVANE was also found in other parts of Ireland, such as County Limerick. One notable individual from this region was William Devane (1855-1932), a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party and a supporter of Irish Home Rule.
The DEVANE surname also has a connection to place names in Ireland. For example, there is a townland called Devane in County Cork, which likely derived its name from the surname.
Another notable individual with the DEVANE surname was Michael Devane (1871-1949), an Irish politician and member of the First Dáil Éireann, the revolutionary parliament of the Irish Republic established in 1919.
Overall, the surname DEVANE has a rich history rooted in Irish culture and ancestry, with various notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devane
Among Census respondents with the surname Devane, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Devane 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 Devane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.7% · 1,455
- Black or African American17.5% · 340
- Two or more races3.7% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devane
Devane 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
#13,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,294
+134 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 285 places
2020
#14,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,948
-346 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,369 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,012 | 2,160 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,297 | 2,294 | 0.78 | +134 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 285 places |
| 2020 | #14,666 | 1,948 | 0.65 | -346 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 1,369 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 Devane 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 | #13,297 | #14,666 | -10.3% |
| Count | 2,294 | 1,948 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.65 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devane bearers went from 2,294 to 1,948 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 1,369 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,297 to #14,666.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Devane
FAQ
Devane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devane?
Name Census estimates that about 2,234 living Americans carry the surname Devane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,426 residents.
How common is Devane?
Devane ranks #14,666 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,948 people with the surname Devane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Devane.
Has Devane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devane went from 2,294 recorded bearers to 1,948. That is a decrease of 346 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,297 to #14,666.
What does the Census say about the background of Devane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devane, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Devane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.7% (1,455 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.7%), Black (17.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Devane (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 Devane mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Daimhín, meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (a personal name meaning "fawn" or "poet"). 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 Devane (0.65 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 Devane?
You can see how common the surname Devane is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.