2000
#2,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,460
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.62
Uncommon Last name
Devlin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dobhailéin," meaning "descendant of the unlucky one" or "descendant of the unfortunate one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,254 Americans carry the last name Devlin. That puts it at #2,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,046 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devlin 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 Devlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,046
Census rank
#2,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,430 bearers of the surname Devlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devlin
The surname Devlin originates from Ireland and dates back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Dobhalein, which means "descendant of Dobhailen." The name Dobhailen is derived from the Irish word dubh, meaning "dark" or "black," and may have referred to someone with dark features or hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Irish annals and documents. One notable mention is in the Annals of Ulster, which refers to a "Dubhalein O'Dubhalein" in the year 1189. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Ireland by the late 12th century.
The Devlin name is particularly associated with County Fermanagh in Ulster, where it has a long and prominent history. In the 16th century, the Devlins were among the most powerful families in the region, and several members of the clan were noted as leaders and landowners.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the anglicized spelling "Devlin" can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor reign, which mention a "Patrick Devlin" in County Fermanagh in 1586.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Devlin. These include:
1. Patrick Devlin (1905-1992), a prominent British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1962 to 1964.
2. Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (born 1947), a prominent Irish republican and civil rights activist who became the youngest woman ever elected to the British Parliament in 1969 at the age of 21.
3. Michael Devlin (1923-2005), an American Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Brownsville, Texas, from 1965 to 1998.
4. John Devlin (1919-2008), an American politician who served as Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from 1964 to 1976.
5. Denis Devlin (1908-1959), an Irish poet and literary critic who was a member of the Irish Academy of Letters and a co-founder of the influential literary journal Envoy.
The Devlin name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Devlinstown and Devlinburn, further highlighting its historical significance and geographic roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Devlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Devlin 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 Devlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 11,147
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 430
- Black or African American3.2% · 396
- Two or more races2.7% · 341
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devlin
Devlin 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
#2,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,014
+554 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.41
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#2,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,430
-584 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,664 | 12,460 | 4.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,774 | 13,014 | 4.41 | +554 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #2,820 | 12,430 | 4.16 | -584 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 46 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 Devlin 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 | #2,774 | #2,820 | -1.7% |
| Count | 13,014 | 12,430 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.41 | 4.16 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devlin bearers went from 13,014 to 12,430 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,774 to #2,820.
FAQ
Devlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devlin?
Name Census estimates that about 14,254 living Americans carry the surname Devlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,046 residents.
How common is Devlin?
Devlin ranks #2,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,430 people with the surname Devlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,254), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Devlin.
Has Devlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devlin went from 13,014 recorded bearers to 12,430. That is a decrease of 584 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,774 to #2,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Devlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Devlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (11,147 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Black (3.2%). 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 Devlin (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 Devlin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dobhailéin," meaning "descendant of the unlucky one" or "descendant of the unfortunate 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 Devlin (4.16 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 share the surname Devlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.