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

Devon, 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 Devon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Devon in America

Devon is the 34353rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Devon surname appeared 660 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 Devon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Devon 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.

The history of the last name Devon

The surname Devon originates from the county of Devon in southwestern England. It is derived from an Old English word "Defnas" or "Defenas," which referred to the inhabitants of the area. The county itself was named after the Celtic people known as the Damnonii, who inhabited the region during the Roman occupation of Britain.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Devon can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "de Devene," "de Devonia," and "de Devonis," indicating that the bearers were from the county of Devon.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Devon was Robert de Devon, who lived in the 12th century and held lands in Somerset and Devon. Another notable figure was John de Devon, a 13th-century English judge and landowner in Devon and Gloucestershire.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including "Devene," "Deveney," and "Devenny." One notable bearer from this period was Sir Thomas Devene, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and served as a member of Parliament for Devon in 1362.

During the Tudor period, the surname took on more standardized spellings, such as "Devon" and "Devonne." One prominent figure from this time was Edward Devonne (c. 1505-1578), an English merchant and Member of Parliament who represented the city of Exeter.

In the 17th century, the surname Devon was well-established in England, and several notable individuals bore the name. These included John Devon (1591-1659), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, and Thomas Devon (1630-1689), an English merchant and landowner in Devon.

Throughout its history, the surname Devon has been associated with various notable figures, including Sir John Devon (1636-1701), an English politician and landowner who served as Lord Lieutenant of Devon, and Edward Devon (1806-1881), an English artist and illustrator known for his landscapes and architectural drawings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Devon

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

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 Devon was:

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

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

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

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