2000
#18,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,383
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Devin
From an Irish surname meaning "descendant of the brown one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,477 Americans carry the last name Devin. That puts it at #20,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 232,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devin 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 Devin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 232,061
Census rank
#20,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,288 bearers of the surname Devin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devin
The surname DEVIN originated in Brittany, a cultural region in the northwest of France, in the medieval period. It is derived from the Breton word "devin," meaning "prophet" or "seer." The name may have been given to someone who was believed to have prophetic abilities or to a soothsayer.
DEVIN is a variant spelling of the French surname Devin, which is also found in historical records. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 12th century, when a person named Guillemin Devin was mentioned in a manuscript from the region.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Robert Devin, a Breton monk and chronicler who wrote about the history of the Duchy of Brittany. His work is a valuable source of information about the region during that time period.
The surname DEVIN can also be traced back to various place names in Brittany, such as Devyn and Devinière, which may have influenced the development of the surname. These place names likely originated from the Breton word "devin" as well.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname DEVIN was Jean Devin, born in 1435 in Rennes, Brittany. He was a prominent merchant and played a role in the city's trade guilds.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Francis Devin (1550-1624), a French theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics during the Counter-Reformation.
In the 17th century, Jacques Devin (1615-1680) was a French painter known for his portraits and religious works. He was a member of the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris.
During the 18th century, Pierre-Nicolas Devin (1735-1810) was a French composer and violinist who wrote several operas and ballets that were performed in Paris.
The surname DEVIN also appears in British records, with one of the earliest examples being John Devin, born in 1620 in Gloucestershire, England. He later immigrated to the American colonies and settled in Virginia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devin
Among Census respondents with the surname Devin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Devin 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 Devin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 1,078
- Black or African American6.1% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 66
- Two or more races3.1% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devin
Devin 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
#20,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,331
-52 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 1,639 places
2020
#20,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,288
-43 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 713 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,437 | 1,383 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,076 | 1,331 | 0.45 | -52 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 1,639 places |
| 2020 | #20,789 | 1,288 | 0.43 | -43 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 713 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 Devin 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 | #20,076 | #20,789 | -3.6% |
| Count | 1,331 | 1,288 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.43 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devin bearers went from 1,331 to 1,288 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 713 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,076 to #20,789.
FAQ
Devin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devin?
Name Census estimates that about 1,477 living Americans carry the surname Devin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 232,061 residents.
How common is Devin?
Devin ranks #20,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,288 people with the surname Devin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Devin.
Has Devin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devin went from 1,331 recorded bearers to 1,288. That is a decrease of 43 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,076 to #20,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Devin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Devin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (1,078 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (6.1%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Devin (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 Devin mean?
From an Irish surname meaning "descendant of the brown one". 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 Devin (0.43 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 surname Devin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.