2000
#4,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,670
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.84
Rare Last name
Deyoung
Derived from the Middle Dutch "de jonge," meaning "the young," likely referring to the younger of two individuals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,909 Americans carry the last name Deyoung. That puts it at #4,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deyoung 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
8.9K
1 in 38,473
Census rank
#4,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,769 bearers of the surname Deyoung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deyoung, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deyoung
The surname DeYoung originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the provinces of Friesland and Zeeland, during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch phrase "de jonge," which translates to "the young" or "the younger." This surname was likely given as a distinguishing epithet to distinguish between two individuals with the same first name, with "de jonge" referring to the younger of the two.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DeYoung can be found in the Frisian chronicles of the 16th century, where a certain Pieter DeYoung is mentioned as a prominent merchant in the city of Leeuwarden. These chronicles also suggest that the name was sometimes spelled as "de Jonge" or "de Yonge" during that period.
In the 17th century, the DeYoung family gained prominence in the city of Middelburg, Zeeland, where several members of the family held influential positions in the local government and trade guilds. One notable member was Adriaan DeYoung (1602-1678), who served as the mayor of Middelburg from 1652 to 1654.
As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, the surname DeYoung began to spread to other parts of the world, including the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and the Dutch colonies in North America. In the late 17th century, a family named DeYoung settled in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York), where they established themselves as successful farmers and traders.
Another notable figure with the surname DeYoung was Willem DeYoung (1772-1848), a Dutch naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the East Indies and the Pacific Ocean. He was instrumental in mapping and charting many previously unexplored islands and archipelagos.
In the 19th century, the surname DeYoung became more prominent in the United States, particularly in the Midwest, where many Dutch immigrants had settled. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Michael Henry DeYoung (1849-1899), a Dutch-American journalist and publisher who co-founded the influential Chicago newspaper, the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Overall, the surname DeYoung has a rich historical legacy, spanning several centuries and countries, with its origins firmly rooted in the Netherlands and the Dutch language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deyoung
Among Census respondents with the surname Deyoung, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Deyoung 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 Deyoung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 7,132
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 262
- Two or more races2.4% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 91
- Black or African American0.9% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deyoung
Deyoung 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
#4,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,759
+89 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 290 places
2020
#4,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,769
+10 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Up 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,281 | 7,670 | 2.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,571 | 7,759 | 2.63 | +89 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 290 places |
| 2020 | #4,428 | 7,769 | 2.60 | +10 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 143 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 Deyoung 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 | #4,571 | #4,428 | 3.1% |
| Count | 7,759 | 7,769 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.60 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deyoung bearers went from 7,759 to 7,769 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,571 to #4,428.
FAQ
Deyoung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deyoung?
Name Census estimates that about 8,909 living Americans carry the surname Deyoung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,473 residents.
How common is Deyoung?
Deyoung ranks #4,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.60 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 7,769 people with the surname Deyoung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,909), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.60 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 Deyoung.
Has Deyoung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deyoung went from 7,759 recorded bearers to 7,769. That is an increase of 10 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,571 to #4,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Deyoung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deyoung, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Deyoung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (7,132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deyoung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Deyoung (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 Deyoung mean?
Derived from the Middle Dutch "de jonge," meaning "the young," likely referring to the younger of two individuals. 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 Deyoung (2.60 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 Deyoung?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Deyoung at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.