2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Devanny
Irish surname transferred from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Daimhín meaning "descendant of Daimhín", a personal name meaning "little stag".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Devanny. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devanny 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 Devanny with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Devanny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devanny, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devanny
The surname Devanny is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic words "dubh" meaning black, and "Amhnaigh" meaning from the river Avonmore. It is believed to have originated in the 12th century in County Wicklow, Ireland, where the Devanny family held lands along the banks of the Avonmore River.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Devanny can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a Donal Devanny is mentioned as a participant in the Battle of Croghan Hill in 1171. This suggests that the Devanny family had already established themselves as a prominent clan in the region by the late 12th century.
In the 14th century, the Devanny name appears in the Pipe Rolls of County Wexford, which were records of taxes and land holdings. This indicates that the family had spread to neighboring counties and had acquired significant property and wealth.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Devanny name was Fergus Devanny, a renowned Irish poet and scholar who lived in the 16th century. His works, which included poems and translations of ancient Irish texts, are considered valuable sources for understanding the language and culture of medieval Ireland.
Another notable figure with the Devanny surname was Patrick Devanny, a 17th-century Irish soldier who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland. He served under the command of Patrick Sarsfield and was present at the Siege of Limerick in 1691, one of the major battles of the war.
In the 18th century, the Devanny name became associated with the Irish diaspora, as many members of the family emigrated to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, seeking better opportunities and fleeing from the effects of the Great Famine.
One such individual was Michael Devanny, an Irish immigrant who settled in New York City in the mid-19th century and became a prominent businessman and philanthropist. He was instrumental in establishing several Irish-American organizations and institutions in the city.
The Devanny name also has connections to various place names in Ireland, such as Devanny Bridge in County Wexford and Devanny Hill in County Wicklow, both of which are believed to have derived their names from the Devanny family's historical presence in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devanny
Among Census respondents with the surname Devanny, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Devanny 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 Devanny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino11.7% · 13
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devanny
Devanny appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 730 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 730 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 Devanny 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 | #149,395 | #148,665 | 0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 111 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devanny bearers went from 110 to 111 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 730 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #148,665.
FAQ
Devanny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devanny?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Devanny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Devanny?
Devanny ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Devanny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Devanny.
Has Devanny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devanny went from 110 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Devanny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devanny, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Devanny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devanny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Hispanic (11.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Devanny (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 Devanny mean?
Irish surname transferred from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Daimhín meaning "descendant of Daimhín", a personal name meaning "little stag". 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 Devanny (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 people are called Devanny?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Devanny is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.