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

Divine, 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 Divine surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Divine in America

Divine is the 10890th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Divine surname appeared 2,926 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Divine.

We can also compare 2010 data for Divine 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 Divine

The surname Divine has its origins in medieval England, deriving from the Old French word "devin," which means "divine" or "heavenly." The name likely emerged during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, when many French words and names were introduced to the English language.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Divine can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners commissioned by King Edward I. The name appears as "Dyvyn" in this document, indicating its French roots and the variation in spelling common during that time period.

During the late medieval period, the surname Divine may have been used as a descriptive name referring to a person's religious or spiritual inclinations, or perhaps as a nickname for someone who was exceptionally pious or virtuous. It's also possible that the name was initially bestowed upon someone who worked in a religious capacity, such as a priest or monk.

In the 16th century, the Divine surname can be found in various parish records across England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset. One notable figure from this era was John Divine (c. 1545 - 1618), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Batheaston in Somerset.

Another prominent individual with the Divine surname was Sir William Divine (1590 - 1660), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Bath during the reign of King Charles I. He was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War and was knighted by Charles I in 1643.

In the 18th century, the Divine name gained recognition through the work of Samuel Divine (1717 - 1785), an English engraver and printmaker known for his intricate illustrations of botanical subjects. His works were widely published and celebrated during his lifetime.

Moving into the 19th century, Thomas Divine (1826 - 1889) was a notable English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Victorian Gothic Revival style. Some of his most notable works include St. Mary's Church in Moseley, Birmingham, and the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution in London.

While the Divine surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. Today, it can be found among families of English descent in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Divine

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!