2000
#9,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Devers
Derived from the French name "Devier," an occupational surname for a guardian or watchman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,519 Americans carry the last name Devers. That puts it at #10,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devers 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 Devers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,401
Census rank
#10,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,069 bearers of the surname Devers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devers, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devers
The surname DEVERS is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the Normandy region, sometime during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "devers," which means "towards" or "in the direction of." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or in the vicinity of a specific location or landmark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DEVERS can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus Devers, who held estates in Wiltshire.
During the 13th century, records show a family bearing the name DEVERS residing in the village of Devers-sur-Mer, located near the town of Caen in Normandy. It's possible that the surname originated from this place name, which translates to "towards the sea."
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Jean DEVERS (c. 1320-1380) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Rouen, France. He is mentioned in several historical documents related to trade and property transactions.
Another individual of note was Pierre DEVERS (1450-1522), a French scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Paris. He authored several influential works on religious philosophy during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, a member of the DEVERS family, Jacques DEVERS (1605-1670), immigrated to the French colony of Quebec in Canada. He is considered one of the earliest settlers of the DEVERS name in North America.
During the 18th century, a French military officer named Louis DEVERS (1725-1792) served in the French and Indian War and later fought for the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Thomas DEVERS (1820-1892), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina from 1879 to 1881.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devers
Among Census respondents with the surname Devers, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Devers 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 Devers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 2,226
- Black or African American14.2% · 435
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 241
- Two or more races3.9% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devers
Devers 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
#9,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,238
+104 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 448 places
2020
#10,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,069
-169 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,516 | 3,134 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,964 | 3,238 | 1.10 | +104 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 448 places |
| 2020 | #10,024 | 3,069 | 1.03 | -169 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 60 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 Devers 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 | #9,964 | #10,024 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,238 | 3,069 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.03 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devers bearers went from 3,238 to 3,069 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,964 to #10,024.
FAQ
Devers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devers?
Name Census estimates that about 3,519 living Americans carry the surname Devers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,401 residents.
How common is Devers?
Devers ranks #10,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,069 people with the surname Devers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Devers.
Has Devers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devers went from 3,238 recorded bearers to 3,069. That is a decrease of 169 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,964 to #10,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Devers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devers, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Devers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (2,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (14.2%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Devers (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 Devers mean?
Derived from the French name "Devier," an occupational surname for a guardian or watchman. 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 Devers (1.03 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 common is the surname Devers?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Devers on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.