2000
#5,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.28
Rare Last name
Dee
Derived from the Welsh given name "Dafydd" or "Dye," meaning "beloved."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,037 Americans carry the last name Dee. That puts it at #4,881 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,647 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dee 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 Dee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,647
Census rank
#4,881
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,009 bearers of the surname Dee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4881st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dee, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%) and Black (9.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dee
The surname DEE originated in England and is believed to have first appeared around the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "deeg," meaning "day worker" or someone who worked for daily wages. The name may have been given to laborers or servants who were paid on a daily basis.
Another theory suggests that the name DEE could be a variation of the French surname "Dey," which was derived from the Old French word "dei" or "dieu," meaning "God." This may indicate that the name was initially given to someone who worked in a religious profession or had a strong religious devotion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DEE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1203, where a person named Richard Dee is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the medieval period.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which listed a Walter Dee. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records that documented landholdings and property transactions in different counties.
During the 14th century, the surname DEE was found in several English towns and villages, including Bedfordshire, where a John Dee was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. The Subsidy Rolls were tax records used to collect money for wars and other national expenses.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname DEE was John Dee (1527-1608), an English mathematician, astronomer, and occultist who was a highly influential figure during the Renaissance period. He served as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I and is credited with introducing the concept of the "British Empire" to the English court.
Another notable person with the surname DEE was Francis Dee (1692-1786), a British landscape architect and garden designer who was responsible for creating several famous gardens in England, including those at Blenheim Palace and Stowe House.
Thomas Dee (1619-1663) was an English merchant and pamphleteer who played a significant role in the English Civil War, publishing several influential works that supported the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.
In the 18th century, John Dee (1758-1826) was a prominent English physician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of medicine and was a member of the Royal College of Physicians.
More recently, Ruby Dee (1922-2014) was an American actress and civil rights activist who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the film "American Gangster." She was also a recipient of the Grammy, Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild awards for her outstanding work in the entertainment industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dee
Among Census respondents with the surname Dee, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%) and Black (9.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dee 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 Dee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 4,647
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.6% · 885
- Black or African American9.5% · 666
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 307
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 258
- Two or more races3.5% · 246
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dee
Dee 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
#5,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,275
+131 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 313 places
2020
#4,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,009
+734 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Up 654 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,222 | 6,144 | 2.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,535 | 6,275 | 2.13 | +131 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 313 places |
| 2020 | #4,881 | 7,009 | 2.34 | +734 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 654 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 Dee 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 | #5,535 | #4,881 | 11.8% |
| Count | 6,275 | 7,009 | 11.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 2.34 | 10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dee bearers went from 6,275 to 7,009 (+11.7% change). The surname moved up 654 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,535 to #4,881.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dee
FAQ
Dee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dee?
Name Census estimates that about 8,037 living Americans carry the surname Dee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,647 residents.
How common is Dee?
Dee ranks #4,881 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 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 7,009 people with the surname Dee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 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 Dee.
Has Dee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dee went from 6,275 recorded bearers to 7,009. That is an increase of 734 (+11.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,535 to #4,881.
What does the Census say about the background of Dee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dee, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%) and Black (9.5%). 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 Dee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (4,647 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.6%), Black (9.5%). 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 Dee (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 Dee mean?
Derived from the Welsh given name "Dafydd" or "Dye," meaning "beloved." 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 Dee (2.34 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 have the surname Dee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.