2000
#11,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,399
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Dismuke
Derived from a place name in France, likely referring to someone from the town of Muides-sur-Loire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,952 Americans carry the last name Dismuke. That puts it at #11,656 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dismuke 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
3.0K
1 in 116,109
Census rank
#11,656
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,574 bearers of the surname Dismuke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11656th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dismuke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dismuke
The surname Dismuke is believed to have originated from the French Huguenot settlers who fled religious persecution in France and settled in parts of England, Ireland, and America in the 16th and 17th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the French words "des" meaning "of" and "muqueaux" meaning "mossy ground" or "mucky ground."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dismuke can be found in the 1700s in South Carolina, where a family of French Huguenot descent had settled. The spelling of the name varied slightly, with some records showing it as "Desmuque" or "Desmukes." It is believed that the family originated from the Normandy region of France before fleeing to England and eventually making their way to the American colonies.
In the late 1700s, a man named John Dismuke was recorded as a landowner in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. His son, William Dismuke, born in 1795, was a prominent figure in the community and served as a captain in the South Carolina militia during the War of 1812.
Another notable individual with the Dismuke surname was James Dismuke, born in 1820 in Tennessee. He was a successful farmer and businessman who owned several plantations and was involved in the cotton industry. His son, John Dismuke, born in 1851, continued the family's agricultural legacy and became a respected figure in the community.
In the 19th century, the Dismuke family had spread across several states in the American South, including Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. One prominent member was William Dismuke, born in 1845 in Mississippi, who served as a colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
Another individual of note was Thomas Dismuke, born in 1870 in Arkansas. He was a lawyer and politician who served as a state representative and was involved in various legal and civic organizations.
While the Dismuke surname is not as common as some other surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its French Huguenot origins and the early settlement of families with this name in the American colonies. The name's evolution and presence in various regions of the United States reflect the journey and contributions of these families throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dismuke
Among Census respondents with the surname Dismuke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dismuke 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 Dismuke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.7% · 1,459
- White34.9% · 898
- Two or more races4.0% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dismuke
Dismuke 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
#11,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,676
+277 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 234 places
2020
#11,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,574
-102 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,948 | 2,399 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,714 | 2,676 | 0.91 | +277 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 234 places |
| 2020 | #11,656 | 2,574 | 0.86 | -102 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 58 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 Dismuke 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 | #11,714 | #11,656 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,676 | 2,574 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.86 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dismuke bearers went from 2,676 to 2,574 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,714 to #11,656.
FAQ
Dismuke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dismuke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,952 living Americans carry the surname Dismuke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,109 residents.
How common is Dismuke?
Dismuke ranks #11,656 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,574 people with the surname Dismuke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,952), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dismuke.
Has Dismuke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dismuke went from 2,676 recorded bearers to 2,574. That is a decrease of 102 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,714 to #11,656.
What does the Census say about the background of Dismuke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dismuke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dismuke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.7% (1,459 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dismuke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (56.7%), White (34.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Dismuke (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 Dismuke mean?
Derived from a place name in France, likely referring to someone from the town of Muides-sur-Loire. 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 Dismuke (0.86 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 Dismuke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.