2000
#3,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.55
Uncommon Last name
Dehart
French occupational surname for a woodcutter or wood-clearer, derived from Old French "essart" meaning "clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,790 Americans carry the last name Dehart. That puts it at #3,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dehart 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
11K
1 in 31,766
Census rank
#3,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,409 bearers of the surname Dehart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehart, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dehart
The surname DEHART is of Dutch origin and can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "hart" meaning "stag" or "deer". This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a place frequented by deer or who was associated with hunting these animals.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Dutch records from the late 1500s, with variations in spelling such as DeHart, De Hart, and De Hert. These early records often referred to individuals from regions like Gelderland and North Brabant, where the name was particularly common.
One notable early reference to the DEHART name can be found in the Dutch East India Company archives, where a Cornelis DeHart is listed as a sailor in the year 1632. This provides evidence of the name's presence in the maritime trade during the Dutch Golden Age.
In the 17th century, members of the DEHART family began to migrate to the New World, with some of the earliest arrivals settling in what is now New York. A Pieter DeHart is recorded as having arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in 1653, while a Jacob DeHart is listed as a resident of Flatbush, Long Island in 1675.
Over the years, several notable individuals have carried the DEHART surname. These include:
1. Reinier DeHart (1675-1742), a Dutch-American farmer and landowner in colonial New York.
2. Johannes DeHart (1733-1811), a Patriot soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. William DeHart (1801-1873), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
4. Caleb DeHart (1821-1893), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
5. Henry DeHart (1846-1924), a Canadian businessman and entrepreneur who founded the DeHart Broom Company in Ontario.
While the DEHART name has Dutch roots, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the Netherlands and the meaning associated with deer or stags.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dehart
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehart, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dehart 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 Dehart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 8,362
- Two or more races4.1% · 389
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 290
- Black or African American2.1% · 200
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dehart
Dehart 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
#3,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,058
+469 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#3,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,409
-649 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Down 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,417 | 9,589 | 3.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,548 | 10,058 | 3.41 | +469 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #3,675 | 9,409 | 3.15 | -649 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 127 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 Dehart 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 | #3,548 | #3,675 | -3.6% |
| Count | 10,058 | 9,409 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.41 | 3.15 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dehart bearers went from 10,058 to 9,409 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,548 to #3,675.
FAQ
Dehart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dehart?
Name Census estimates that about 10,790 living Americans carry the surname Dehart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,766 residents.
How common is Dehart?
Dehart ranks #3,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,409 people with the surname Dehart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dehart.
Has Dehart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dehart went from 10,058 recorded bearers to 9,409. That is a decrease of 649 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,548 to #3,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Dehart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehart, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Dehart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (8,362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dehart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Dehart (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 Dehart mean?
French occupational surname for a woodcutter or wood-clearer, derived from Old French "essart" meaning "clearing." 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 Dehart (3.15 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 share the surname Dehart?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.