2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Devaughan
A surname derived from the French phrase "de Vaughan", referring to someone from the town of Vaugon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Devaughan. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devaughan 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Devaughan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (10.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devaughan
The surname DEVAUGHAN has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in the regions of Wales and England. It is believed to have emerged around the 12th century as a variant of the Welsh surname "Vaughan," which itself is derived from the Welsh personal name "Bychan," meaning "little" or "small."
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "de Vaghan" or "de Vaughan," indicating a connection to a specific place or estate. The prefix "de" was commonly used in medieval times to signify a person's place of origin or residence. Over time, the spelling evolved to incorporate the prefix into the surname, resulting in the form "DEVAUGHAN."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Vaghan." This entry suggests that the name was already established in parts of England and Wales by the late 11th century.
Notable figures with the surname DEVAUGHAN include:
1. Sir William DEVAUGHAN (c. 1450-1522), a Welsh soldier and landowner who played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses.
2. John DEVAUGHAN (c. 1570-1638), an English clergyman and author known for his works on theology and philosophy.
3. Elizabeth DEVAUGHAN (c. 1600-1678), an influential Puritan writer and poet from Gloucestershire, England.
4. Thomas DEVAUGHAN (c. 1720-1792), a Welsh landowner and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and churches in his native county of Pembrokeshire.
5. Sir Henry DEVAUGHAN (1815-1891), a British diplomat and politician who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and later as a Member of Parliament.
Throughout its history, the surname DEVAUGHAN has been associated with various place names and estates, particularly in Wales and the Welsh Marches. Some examples include Devaughan Hall in Denbighshire, Devaughan Manor in Montgomeryshire, and the village of Devaughan in Radnorshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devaughan
Among Census respondents with the surname Devaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (10.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Devaughan 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 Devaughan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.1% · 62
- Black or African American22.7% · 27
- Two or more races10.9% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native10.1% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devaughan
Devaughan 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
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,631 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 Devaughan 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 | #140,157 | #142,788 | -1.9% |
| Count | 119 | 119 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devaughan bearers went from 119 to 119 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,788.
FAQ
Devaughan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devaughan?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Devaughan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Devaughan?
Devaughan ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Devaughan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Devaughan.
Has Devaughan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devaughan went from 119 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Devaughan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devaughan, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (10.9%). 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 Devaughan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.1% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devaughan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.1%), Black (22.7%), Two or More Races (10.9%). 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 Devaughan (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 Devaughan mean?
A surname derived from the French phrase "de Vaughan", referring to someone from the town of Vaugon. 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 Devaughan (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 have the last name Devaughan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Devaughan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.