2000
#27,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 838
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Desselle
A surname possibly derived from a place name in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,024 Americans carry the last name Desselle. That puts it at #28,415 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 334,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desselle 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
1.0K
1 in 334,721
Census rank
#28,415
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
893
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 893 bearers of the surname Desselle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28415th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Desselle
The surname Desselle originates from France, where it first appeared in records during the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "desselle," which referred to an unsaddled horse or one without a saddle. This name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked with horses, such as a stable hand or groom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Desselle can be found in the Cartulaire de Normandie, a collection of charters and deeds from Normandy, France, dating back to the 12th century. In this document, a person named Radulphus Desselle is mentioned in connection with a land transaction.
The Desselle name has also been documented in other historical records from various regions of France, including the Parisian region and the provinces of Burgundy and Champagne. Variations in spelling, such as Desselles, Dessell, and Deselle, can be found in these records.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Jean Desselle was born in the town of Beauvais, France. He was a renowned scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Paris and authored several works on religious subjects.
Another notable individual with the Desselle surname was Pierre Desselle, born in 1602 in the village of Vouvray, near Tours, France. He was a successful winemaker and is credited with developing some of the region's finest vintages during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, a French military officer named Jacques Desselle played a significant role in the French and Indian War. He served under the command of the Marquis de Montcalm and participated in several crucial battles, including the Battle of Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) in 1758.
The name Desselle has also been associated with various place names in France, such as the village of Desselle in the department of Sarthe, and the commune of Dessertine, which was formerly known as Dessertine-Desselle.
While the Desselle surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the French countryside and the occupational heritage associated with working with horses.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desselle
Among Census respondents with the surname Desselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Desselle 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 Desselle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 715
- Black or African American12.3% · 110
- Two or more races4.6% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desselle
Desselle 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
#25,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 949
+111 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 1,248 places
2020
#28,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 893
-56 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 2,513 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,150 | 838 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,902 | 949 | 0.32 | +111 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 1,248 places |
| 2020 | #28,415 | 893 | 0.30 | -56 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 2,513 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 Desselle 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 | #25,902 | #28,415 | -9.7% |
| Count | 949 | 893 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.30 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desselle bearers went from 949 to 893 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 2,513 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,902 to #28,415.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Desselle
FAQ
Desselle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desselle?
Name Census estimates that about 1,024 living Americans carry the surname Desselle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 334,721 residents.
How common is Desselle?
Desselle ranks #28,415 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 893 people with the surname Desselle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Desselle.
Has Desselle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desselle went from 949 recorded bearers to 893. That is a decrease of 56 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,902 to #28,415.
What does the Census say about the background of Desselle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Desselle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (715 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desselle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (12.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Desselle (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 Desselle mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name in France. 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 Desselle (0.30 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 Desselle?
Find out how many people have the surname Desselle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.