2000
#3,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.09
Uncommon Last name
Devore
A French occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a cloth merchant or draper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,315 Americans carry the last name Devore. That puts it at #3,282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devore 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.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,832
Census rank
#3,282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,739 bearers of the surname Devore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devore, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devore
The surname DEVORE is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "de vore" or "de voure," meaning "of the wood" or "from the woods." This name likely originated in the medieval period, potentially as early as the 11th or 12th century, as a way to identify individuals who lived in or near forested areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DEVORE surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population conducted in England in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Vore, indicating the presence of the name in England during the Norman period.
The DEVORE surname also has a long history in France, where it was often spelled as "Devore," "Devoire," or "Devoir." In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Jean de Vore, who held lands in the region of Normandy. Another notable figure was Jacques Devore, a French philosopher and writer born in 1540 in the village of Vaudreuil, who wrote extensively on the concept of natural rights.
In the United Kingdom, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the DEVORE surname was Richard Devore, who was born in 1521 in the village of Beaulieu, Hampshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the local council during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the DEVORE family played significant roles in the colonization of North America. One such individual was Pierre Devore, a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution in France and settled in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) in 1685. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the United States and Canada.
Another notable figure was William Devore, born in 1745 in County Antrim, Ireland. He served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and later became a successful merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania. His son, John Devore (1780-1862), was a prominent politician and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Throughout history, the DEVORE surname has been associated with various occupations, including landowners, merchants, politicians, and scholars. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins can be traced back to the forested regions of medieval France, reflecting the connection between the name and the natural environment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devore
Among Census respondents with the surname Devore, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Devore 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 Devore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 9,042
- Black or African American6.5% · 701
- Two or more races3.8% · 413
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 399
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 80
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devore
Devore 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
#3,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,445
+405 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.88
Rank movement Down 152 places
2020
#3,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,739
-706 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,005 | 11,040 | 4.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,157 | 11,445 | 3.88 | +405 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 152 places |
| 2020 | #3,282 | 10,739 | 3.59 | -706 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 125 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 Devore 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 | #3,157 | #3,282 | -4.0% |
| Count | 11,445 | 10,739 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.88 | 3.59 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devore bearers went from 11,445 to 10,739 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 125 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,157 to #3,282.
FAQ
Devore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devore?
Name Census estimates that about 12,315 living Americans carry the surname Devore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,832 residents.
How common is Devore?
Devore ranks #3,282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.59 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 10,739 people with the surname Devore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.59 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 Devore.
Has Devore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devore went from 11,445 recorded bearers to 10,739. That is a decrease of 706 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,157 to #3,282.
What does the Census say about the background of Devore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devore, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Devore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (9,042 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Devore (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 Devore mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a cloth merchant or draper. 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 Devore (3.59 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 are called Devore?
If you just want to know how many people are called Devore, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.