2000
#10,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,851
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Deatherage
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the ridge frequented by deer" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,220 Americans carry the last name Deatherage. That puts it at #10,835 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deatherage 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
3.2K
1 in 106,445
Census rank
#10,835
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,808 bearers of the surname Deatherage in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10835th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deatherage, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deatherage
The surname Deatherage is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name that has since been lost to time or evolved into a different form.
One theory suggests that the name Deatherage may have roots in the Old English words "dēað" and "eridge," which translate to "death" and "ridge" or "raised ground," respectively. This could indicate that the name originated in an area with a distinct geographical feature associated with death, perhaps a battlefield or burial ground.
Another possibility is that the name stems from an early occupation or trade, such as a person responsible for maintaining or overseeing a burial site or graveyard. However, there is limited historical evidence to support this theory definitively.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Deatherage date back to the 16th century. One notable reference comes from the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Pulborough, West Sussex, where a John Deatherage was listed as a resident in 1582.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various records across England, including the baptismal records of St. Giles Cripplegate in London, where a Thomas Deatherage was recorded in 1624. Additionally, a William Deatherage was mentioned in the Gloucestershire county records in 1678.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Deatherage have achieved recognition in various fields. One notable example is Robert Deatherage (1808-1890), an American politician who served as the 11th Governor of Tennessee from 1853 to 1857.
Another prominent figure was Elizabeth Deatherage (1856-1932), a British author and activist known for her work in promoting women's rights and education. She published several novels and non-fiction works, including "The Emancipation of Women" (1898).
In the realm of sports, John Deatherage (1918-1992) was a professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns in the 1940s. He was known for his strong defensive skills as an outfielder.
The name Deatherage has also been associated with the arts, with William Deatherage (1926-2011) being a renowned American painter and sculptor. His works were exhibited in various galleries and museums across the United States.
Lastly, Mary Deatherage (1932-2018) was a respected academic and linguist who specialized in the study of Native American languages. She worked closely with the Lakota and Dakota communities, contributing significantly to the preservation and documentation of their linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deatherage
Among Census respondents with the surname Deatherage, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Deatherage 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 Deatherage surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 2,412
- Two or more races6.0% · 169
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deatherage
Deatherage 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
#10,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,978
+127 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#10,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,808
-170 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,350 | 2,851 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,726 | 2,978 | 1.01 | +127 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #10,835 | 2,808 | 0.94 | -170 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 109 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 Deatherage 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 | #10,726 | #10,835 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,978 | 2,808 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.94 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deatherage bearers went from 2,978 to 2,808 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,726 to #10,835.
FAQ
Deatherage surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deatherage?
Name Census estimates that about 3,220 living Americans carry the surname Deatherage. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,445 residents.
How common is Deatherage?
Deatherage ranks #10,835 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,808 people with the surname Deatherage. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,220), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Deatherage.
Has Deatherage become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deatherage went from 2,978 recorded bearers to 2,808. That is a decrease of 170 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,726 to #10,835.
What does the Census say about the background of Deatherage?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deatherage, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Deatherage in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (2,412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deatherage appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Deatherage (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 Deatherage mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the ridge frequented by deer" in Old English. 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 Deatherage (0.94 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 Deatherage?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.