2000
#3,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.58
Uncommon Last name
Dexter
One who dyes or one who is skilled at dyeing cloth or fabric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,723 Americans carry the last name Dexter. That puts it at #3,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dexter 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 Dexter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,964
Census rank
#3,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,351 bearers of the surname Dexter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dexter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dexter
The surname Dexter originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "dexter," meaning "right-handed" or "fortunate." The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was particularly adept with their right hand or considered fortunate or skilled.
Dexter is a locational surname that may have originated from places named Dexter, such as the village of Dexter in Oxfordshire or the hamlet of Dexter in Devon. These place names are believed to have evolved from the Old English words "dexter" and "ora," meaning "right-hand shore" or "right-hand riverbank."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dexter appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is mentioned as a place name in Somerset. This suggests that the surname was already in use at that time.
In the 13th century, a record from the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire mentions a person named William Dexter. Another early example is found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which includes the name Robertus Dextere.
Notable individuals with the surname Dexter throughout history include Samuel Dexter (1761-1816), an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of War and the United States Secretary of the Treasury under President John Adams. Henry Dexter (1822-1890) was an American clergyman and writer who authored several books on Congregationalism.
Other notable Dexters include Samuel Dexter (1700-1770), an English nonconformist minister and author; Benjamin Dexter (1768-1844), an American physician and author; and Henry Martyn Dexter (1821-1890), an American Congregationalist clergyman and author.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the surname such as Dextar, Dexytre, and Dextor were also recorded in various parish registers and historical documents across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dexter
Among Census respondents with the surname Dexter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dexter 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 Dexter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 7,607
- Black or African American10.0% · 939
- Two or more races3.9% · 366
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 297
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dexter
Dexter 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
#3,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,099
+439 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#3,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,351
-748 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,390 | 9,660 | 3.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,535 | 10,099 | 3.42 | +439 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #3,691 | 9,351 | 3.13 | -748 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 156 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 Dexter 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 | #3,535 | #3,691 | -4.4% |
| Count | 10,099 | 9,351 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.42 | 3.13 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dexter bearers went from 10,099 to 9,351 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,535 to #3,691.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dexter
FAQ
Dexter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dexter?
Name Census estimates that about 10,723 living Americans carry the surname Dexter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,964 residents.
How common is Dexter?
Dexter ranks #3,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,351 people with the surname Dexter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dexter.
Has Dexter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dexter went from 10,099 recorded bearers to 9,351. That is a decrease of 748 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,535 to #3,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Dexter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dexter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Dexter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (7,607 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dexter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Dexter (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 Dexter mean?
One who dyes or one who is skilled at dyeing cloth or fabric. 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 Dexter (3.13 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 Americans have the surname Dexter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.