2000
#2,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.35
Uncommon Last name
Denson
Son of Den, derived from the given name Dennis or Denise, or a place name meaning "Dane's town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,422 Americans carry the last name Denson. That puts it at #3,003 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denson 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 Denson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,537
Census rank
#3,003
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,705 bearers of the surname Denson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3003rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are White (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denson
The surname DENSON has its origins in England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dene" meaning valley or dell, and "sunu" meaning son, thus translating to "son of the valley dweller." The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears as de Dene in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273.
DENSON is a locational surname, indicating that the first bearers of this name hailed from a specific place. Records suggest that the name was initially associated with the village of Denton in Lancashire, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Dene-tun," meaning "the settlement in the valley."
In the 14th century, the name appeared as Deneson, Denneson, and Denyson in various records across counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cheshire. This variation in spelling was common during that era due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname DENSON was John Denyson, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379. Another notable figure was Richard Denson, a merchant and landowner from Nottinghamshire, who lived in the late 15th century.
During the 16th century, the name was further anglicized to its modern spelling of DENSON. Thomas Denson (1547-1615) was a respected clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Buntingford in Hertfordshire.
In the 17th century, Edward Denson (1629-1694) was a prominent English lawyer and legal writer who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1688 to 1692.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Denson (1675-1741), a British naval officer who commanded several ships during the War of the Spanish Succession and later served as a Member of Parliament for Plymouth.
As the surname spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. William Denson (1718-1788) was a early settler in Virginia and a prominent planter in Spotsylvania County.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denson
Among Census respondents with the surname Denson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are White (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Denson 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 Denson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.9% · 5,489
- White43.0% · 5,033
- Two or more races4.8% · 558
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 410
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denson
Denson 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
#2,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,419
+694 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#3,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,705
-714 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,808 | 11,725 | 4.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,893 | 12,419 | 4.21 | +694 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #3,003 | 11,705 | 3.92 | -714 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 110 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 Denson 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 | #2,893 | #3,003 | -3.8% |
| Count | 12,419 | 11,705 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.21 | 3.92 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denson bearers went from 12,419 to 11,705 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,893 to #3,003.
FAQ
Denson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denson?
Name Census estimates that about 13,422 living Americans carry the surname Denson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,537 residents.
How common is Denson?
Denson ranks #3,003 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,705 people with the surname Denson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Denson.
Has Denson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denson went from 12,419 recorded bearers to 11,705. That is a decrease of 714 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,893 to #3,003.
What does the Census say about the background of Denson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are White (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Denson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.9% (5,489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.9%), White (43.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Denson (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 Denson mean?
Son of Den, derived from the given name Dennis or Denise, or a place name meaning "Dane's town." 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 Denson (3.92 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 are called Denson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Denson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.