2000
#8,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,517
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Devault
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of vaults, cellars, or wine casks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,697 Americans carry the last name Devault. That puts it at #9,634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devault 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
3.7K
1 in 92,711
Census rank
#9,634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,224 bearers of the surname Devault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devault, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devault
The surname DEVAULT originated in France, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French term "de Vaut," which translates to "from the valley." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who resided in or near a valley.
During the 13th century, the name DEVAULT appeared in various records and manuscripts across the French regions of Normandy and Brittany. One notable mention is in the "Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen," a medieval register of citizens from the city of Rouen, where several individuals bearing the name DEVAULT were listed.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname DEVAULT can be traced back to Jean DeVault, born in 1289 in Rouen, Normandy. Another prominent figure was Guillaume DeVault, a merchant from Brittany, who lived between 1325 and 1398.
In the 16th century, the name DEVAULT was found in various spellings, such as DeVault, DeVaulx, and DeVaulx, reflecting regional variations and scribal interpretations. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Pierre DeVault, a renowned winemaker from the Burgundy region, who lived from 1521 to 1597.
As the DEVAULT family spread across France and eventually to other parts of Europe, the name evolved and adapted to local dialects and languages. In the 17th century, a branch of the family settled in the German-speaking region of Alsace, where the name was recorded as DeVault and DeWalt.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname DEVAULT was Antoine DeVault, a French explorer and navigator who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his third voyage to Canada in 1541. Born in 1515 in Saint-Malo, Brittany, DeVault played a crucial role in charting the St. Lawrence River and establishing trade relations with the indigenous peoples.
Another notable figure was Jean-Baptiste DeVault, a prominent architect from Paris, who lived from 1663 to 1745. He designed several notable buildings, including the Église Saint-Sulpice and the Hôtel de Ville in Paris.
As the DEVAULT family continued to expand and migrate, the name appeared in various regions and countries, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its origins can be traced back to the valleys of medieval France, where the name first emerged as a locational identifier.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devault
Among Census respondents with the surname Devault, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Devault 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 Devault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,755
- Black or African American6.5% · 208
- Two or more races3.8% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devault
Devault 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
#9,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,476
-41 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 744 places
2020
#9,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,224
-252 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 277 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,613 | 3,517 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,357 | 3,476 | 1.18 | -41 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 744 places |
| 2020 | #9,634 | 3,224 | 1.08 | -252 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 277 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 Devault 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 | #9,357 | #9,634 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,476 | 3,224 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.08 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devault bearers went from 3,476 to 3,224 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 277 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,357 to #9,634.
FAQ
Devault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devault?
Name Census estimates that about 3,697 living Americans carry the surname Devault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,711 residents.
How common is Devault?
Devault ranks #9,634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,224 people with the surname Devault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,697), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Devault.
Has Devault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devault went from 3,476 recorded bearers to 3,224. That is a decrease of 252 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,357 to #9,634.
What does the Census say about the background of Devault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devault, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Devault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,755 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Devault (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 Devault mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of vaults, cellars, or wine casks. 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 Devault (1.08 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 Devault?
You can see how many people are called Devault on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.