2000
#1,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,575
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.52
Uncommon Last name
Delong
Derived from the French surname "de Long," indicating a person who was tall or large in stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,141 Americans carry the last name Delong. That puts it at #2,107 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,907 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delong 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
19K
1 in 17,907
Census rank
#2,107
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,692 bearers of the surname Delong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2107th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delong, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delong
The surname DELONG has its origins in France, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French phrase "de long," which means "from long" or "from far away." This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had traveled a great distance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval French records, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Bertin, which mentions a "Radulfus de Long" in the year 1185. This document, a cartulary from the Abbey of Saint-Bertin in Saint-Omer, France, provides evidence of the name's existence during that time period.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, including "de Longe," "de Longue," and "de Longa," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in the Middle Ages. These variations likely stemmed from local dialects and regional pronunciations.
One notable bearer of the DELONG surname was Jean de Long, a French nobleman and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War. Born around 1320, he served under King John II of France and was present at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, where he was captured by the English.
Another historical figure was Pierre DeLong, a French explorer and navigator who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his second voyage to Canada in 1535. DeLong played a crucial role in mapping the St. Lawrence River and establishing trade relations with the indigenous peoples.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled "de Longh." One prominent individual was Jan de Longh, a Dutch painter and engraver active in the mid-1600s, known for his landscapes and cityscapes.
The DELONG surname also found its way to the British Isles, where it was sometimes anglicized as "Delong" or "DeLong." One notable bearer was Thomas DeLong, an English mathematician and astronomer born in 1699, who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals bearing the DELONG surname making their mark. One such person was George W. DeLong, an American naval officer and explorer who led the ill-fated Jeannette expedition to the Arctic in 1879. Although the expedition ended in tragedy, DeLong's leadership and bravery were widely acclaimed.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delong
Among Census respondents with the surname Delong, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Delong 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 Delong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 15,033
- Two or more races4.0% · 666
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 550
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 147
- Black or African American0.8% · 137
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delong
Delong 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
#2,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,844
+269 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 6.05
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#2,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,692
-1,152 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 5.58
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,875 | 17,575 | 6.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,022 | 17,844 | 6.05 | +269 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #2,107 | 16,692 | 5.58 | -1,152 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 85 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 Delong 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 | #2,022 | #2,107 | -4.2% |
| Count | 17,844 | 16,692 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.05 | 5.58 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delong bearers went from 17,844 to 16,692 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,022 to #2,107.
FAQ
Delong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delong?
Name Census estimates that about 19,141 living Americans carry the surname Delong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,907 residents.
How common is Delong?
Delong ranks #2,107 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,692 people with the surname Delong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Delong.
Has Delong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delong went from 17,844 recorded bearers to 16,692. That is a decrease of 1,152 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,022 to #2,107.
What does the Census say about the background of Delong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delong, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Delong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (15,033 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Delong (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 Delong mean?
Derived from the French surname "de Long," indicating a person who was tall or large in stature. 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 Delong (5.58 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 Delong?
Find out how many people are called Delong on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.