2000
#18,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,383
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Derrickson
A patronymic surname indicating "son of Derrick".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,394 Americans carry the last name Derrickson. That puts it at #21,812 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 245,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Derrickson 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
1.4K
1 in 245,878
Census rank
#21,812
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,216 bearers of the surname Derrickson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21812th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Derrickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Derrickson
The surname Derrickson is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Northumberland. The name is derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer," and the suffix "-ric," indicating a place or region.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dating back to 1584. Here, the name is spelled as "Deyrycke." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a deer park or a place where deer were abundant.
During the 17th century, the name began to appear in various parish records across northern England. In 1617, the baptism of John Derrickson was recorded in the parish of Aycliffe, County Durham. Another notable entry is the marriage of William Derrickson and Elizabeth Wilson in 1682, recorded in the parish of Kirkby Ravensworth, Yorkshire.
As the British Empire expanded, some individuals bearing the surname Derrickson migrated to the American colonies in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is the arrival of John Derrickson, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1683.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Derrickson. One such figure was William Derrickson (1760-1832), a American Revolutionary War soldier from New Jersey. Another was John Derrickson (1804-1877), a farmer and local politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature from 1843 to 1845.
In the literary world, James Derrickson (1874-1945) was a Canadian author and journalist who wrote several books on the history and culture of the Canadian Maritimes. More recently, Scott Derrickson (born 1966) is an American film director and screenwriter known for his work on horror films such as "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "Sinister."
While the surname Derrickson may have originated in a specific region of England, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derrickson
Among Census respondents with the surname Derrickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Derrickson 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 Derrickson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 921
- Black or African American16.1% · 196
- Two or more races5.3% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Derrickson
Derrickson 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
#19,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,384
+1 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 1,076 places
2020
#21,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,216
-168 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 2,299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,437 | 1,383 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,513 | 1,384 | 0.47 | +1 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 1,076 places |
| 2020 | #21,812 | 1,216 | 0.41 | -168 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 2,299 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 Derrickson 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 | #19,513 | #21,812 | -11.8% |
| Count | 1,384 | 1,216 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.41 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Derrickson bearers went from 1,384 to 1,216 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 2,299 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,513 to #21,812.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Derrickson
FAQ
Derrickson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Derrickson?
Name Census estimates that about 1,394 living Americans carry the surname Derrickson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 245,878 residents.
How common is Derrickson?
Derrickson ranks #21,812 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,216 people with the surname Derrickson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Derrickson.
Has Derrickson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Derrickson went from 1,384 recorded bearers to 1,216. That is a decrease of 168 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,513 to #21,812.
What does the Census say about the background of Derrickson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Derrickson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Derrickson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Derrickson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (16.1%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Derrickson (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 Derrickson mean?
A patronymic surname indicating "son of Derrick". 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 Derrickson (0.41 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 Derrickson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.