2000
#4,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,344
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.72
Rare Last name
Damon
A surname of Greek origin meaning "to tame" or "to subdue."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,994 Americans carry the last name Damon. That puts it at #4,905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,876 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Damon 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 Damon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,876
Census rank
#4,905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,971 bearers of the surname Damon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Damon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Damon
The surname Damon is of English origin, derived from the Old French name "Damin" or "Damine," which itself came from the Latin name "Dominus," meaning "Lord" or "Master." It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Damon are found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Damin," "Damun," and "Damone," indicating its evolution over time.
One notable figure bearing the surname Damon was Sir Thomas Damon, a prominent English landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century. He was recorded as holding significant estates in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
Another historical figure with the surname Damon was John Damon, a renowned English printer and publisher who lived in the 16th century. He is known for publishing several important works, including the first edition of Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" in 1516.
In the 17th century, Robert Damon, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, England, gained recognition for his successful trading ventures with the West Indies and the American colonies.
During the 18th century, the Damon surname was associated with several notable authors and poets, including Samuel Damon, whose works included "The Husbandman's Manual" and "The Art of Husbandry," published in the early 1700s.
The 19th century saw the rise of Henry Damon, a prominent American businessman and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He made significant contributions to the field of education and founded the Damon Memorial Library in his hometown.
Throughout its history, the surname Damon has been tied to various locations across England, such as Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Bristol, where it had a strong presence. The name has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, where it was brought by English immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Damon
Among Census respondents with the surname Damon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Damon 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 Damon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 5,075
- Black or African American13.9% · 972
- Two or more races4.3% · 302
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.0% · 277
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 260
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Damon
Damon 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
#4,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,555
+211 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#4,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,971
-584 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,452 | 7,344 | 2.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,695 | 7,555 | 2.56 | +211 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #4,905 | 6,971 | 2.33 | -584 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 210 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 Damon 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 | #4,695 | #4,905 | -4.5% |
| Count | 7,555 | 6,971 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.56 | 2.33 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Damon bearers went from 7,555 to 6,971 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,695 to #4,905.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Damon
FAQ
Damon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Damon?
Name Census estimates that about 7,994 living Americans carry the surname Damon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,876 residents.
How common is Damon?
Damon ranks #4,905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,971 people with the surname Damon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,994), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Damon.
Has Damon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Damon went from 7,555 recorded bearers to 6,971. That is a decrease of 584 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,695 to #4,905.
What does the Census say about the background of Damon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Damon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Damon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (5,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Damon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (13.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Damon (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 Damon mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning "to tame" or "to subdue." 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 Damon (2.33 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 common is the surname Damon?
Find out how common the surname Damon is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.