Devaux last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Devaux

A french surname derived from the word "val" meaning valley.

Devaux, 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 Devaux surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Devaux in America

Devaux is the 32302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Devaux surname appeared 713 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 Devaux.

We can also compare 2010 data for Devaux 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 32302 34342 -6.12%
Count 713 624 13.31%
Proportion per 100k 0.24 0.23 4.26%

The history of the last name Devaux

The surname DEVAUX is of French origin, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. The name is derived from the Old French words "de" meaning "of" or "from," and "vaux" meaning "valleys" or "vales," suggesting that the name may have been originally given to someone who lived in or near a valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century, which mentions a person named Robertus de Vallis (Robert of the Valley). This suggests that the name DEVAUX may have been a variant spelling or a later evolution of the name de Vallis.

In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Raoul Devaux who owned lands in the village of Vaux-sur-Aure in Normandy. This indicates that the name may have been associated with a specific place, likely taking its name from the valleys or vales in that area.

During the Middle Ages, the name DEVAUX appeared in various forms such as de Vaux, de Valibus, and de Vallibus, reflecting the variations in spelling and language at the time. One notable figure from this period was Jean de Vaux, a French knight who participated in the Crusades in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name DEVAUX gained prominence with the birth of Guillaume Devaux (1505-1568), a French Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in France. He was known for his writings and his efforts to establish reformed churches in the country.

Another notable person with the surname DEVAUX was Marie-Anne Devaux (1718-1798), a French playwright and author who wrote several popular comedies and plays during the 18th century. Her works were performed in prominent theaters in Paris and enjoyed widespread acclaim.

In the 19th century, Émile Devaux (1820-1895) was a French artist and painter known for his landscape paintings and portraiture. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and exhibited his works at the prestigious Salon de Paris.

The name DEVAUX has also been associated with various places and geographical features throughout France, such as the commune of Vaux-sur-Aure in Normandy, which is believed to be the origin of the name, and the Vallée de Vaux in the Champagne region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Devaux

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

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 Devaux was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 81.07% 578
Non-Hispanic Black Only 11.36% 81
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.40% 10
Hispanic Origin 5.33% 38

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 Devaux has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 81.07% 83.65% -3.13%
Black 11.36% 13.30% -15.73%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.40% 1.28% 8.96%
Hispanic 5.33% 1.12% 130.54%

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

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

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"Devaux last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/devaux-surname-popularity/.

"Devaux last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/devaux-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 July, 2025

Devaux last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/devaux-surname-popularity/.

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